Cecilia Tallis Timeline & Summary

As a young woman just out of university, Cecilia comes home to her family house in 1935. She discovers she is in love with her old playmate, Robbie Turner, and the two have one passionate encounter.
Robbie is accused by Cecilia's sister, Briony, of raping their cousin, Lola. As Robbie is being taken off to prison, Cecilia tells him she believes in his innocence and promises to wait for him.
Cecilia leaves home and cuts ties with her family. She becomes a nurse. She writes to Robbie in prison, and then continues to write after he is released to the army in 1940.
Cecilia reunites with Robbie after the war. They meet with Briony and she agrees to recant her testimony and write them a long letter explaining why she did what she did.
Briony reveals that Robbie did not survive in the war, but died before he could escape France. Cecilia died a few months later during the bombing of London by the Nazis.