Everyone gathers on the ferry to Harper's Island for the wedding of Henry Dunn and Trish Wellington. Trish's cousin Ben Wellington is still unaccounted for, but they decide to cast off anyway and as the engine starts, we see that he's been tied to the drive shaft with a regulator, and goes head first into the propeller. WHAP! Unbeknownst to the party on board the voyage continues as Henry and his best friend growing up, Abby Mills discuss her apprehension about returning to Harper's Island. Her mother was one of the victims John Wakefield murdered seven years ago. Among the many guests coming to the island is Henry's Uncle Marty who is secretly travelling with a bag of $250,000 and a gun. The wedding party arrives at The Candlewick Inn, the setting for all of the festivities and Abby gets reacquainted with her surroundings. Hunter Jennings, Trish's ex boyfriend arrives to the island per Mr. Wellington's request. They intend to break up Trish's marriage to Henry. Uncle Marty confronts Mr. Wellington about his treatment of Henry and also his plan to break up Henry and Trish's wedding. While out for a walk later in the evening, Marty gets stuck in a footbridge he's fallen through and is then cut in half. Once the evening winds down, Abby returns to her room to find a newspaper article taped to her bathroom mirror about her mother's murder at the hands of John Wakefield.
