Timetravel

The Time Traveler's Wife

  • Henry DeTamble is Born

    Henry's life begins as he is born to Richard DeTamble, a violinist in the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and Annette Lyn Robinson, a world-renowned opera singer.
  • Henry's First Traveling Experience

    On his fifth birthday, Henry time travels for the first time to the Field Museum of Natural History, a museum he had visited earlier in the day for his celebration. He is met by an older him from January 2, 1988. Henry (24) doesn't tell his younger self that he is the Henry of the future; instead, he gives his boy self a private tour of the museum into places he hadn't seen.
  • Death of Henry's Mother

    Henry (6) was riding with his mother in their Ford Fairlane going to the airport. It was a gray, snowy day with poor visibility and ice and snow on the roads. They were behind a pickup truck full of scrap metal on the highway when a red Corvette rear-ended their car, knocking them into the pickup. The metal flew through the window, decapitating Henry's mom. However, Henry time traveled (it was his second time) out of the car, receiving only a small scar, so he lived.
  • Clare Anne Abshire is Born

    Clare is born to Philip and Lucille Abshire, with a sister named Alicia and a brother named Mark; her grandma also lives with them.
  • Henry Teaches Himself

    The Henry (9) from a week before and a Henry (27) from 1990 meet at the Art Institute of Chicago. The older Henry teaches the younger Henry about pick-pocketing in a strange environment. He also tells his younger self that they are the same Henry.
  • Henry Meets Clare for the First Time

    Henry (36) time travels to the Meadow, Clare's (6) favorite haunt as a child. She has never seen him before; this is their first meeting. She is doubtful he is a time traveler, but he gives her a date when she will see him next. He returns to February 9, 2000 and tells Clare (28) about the meeting.
  • Henry's Second Meeting with Clare

    Henry (35, from March 27, 2000) meets Clare (6) again in the Meadow; he explains his time traveling to her and gives her the date of his next appearance.
  • Henry Tells Himself About Disrupting Events

    A Henry (15) from the next year visits the Henry (15) of the present. He explains that whenever he time travels back, he is incapable of changing events that have already occurred. Also, he adds, changing futuristic events becomes his past, so any events that occur are also inevitable.
  • Daddy/Daughter Time

    Henry (41) and Clare (10) meet up at Lighthouse Beach in 1979. They have fun and he tells her a story.
  • Henry Avoids Arrest

    Henry (19) is caught trying to break into a house in Zion, IL. He disappears before the officers have a chance to talk to or identify him. He reappears on the day of September 28, 1982.
  • Clare Experiments With a Ouija Board

    At a friend's birthday party, Clare (11) asks the board who likes her. "HENRY" is spelled out, along with "HUSBAND," which leaves her bewildered.
  • Henry Tells Clare About His Present

    While in the Meadow, Henry relays to Clare a few snippets of his life in his present (her future). He is 36, and she is 12. She feels frustrated about the lack of information, but he explains that he doesn't want to screw up his future. He also mentions how he is a 20 year old in 1984, so though there is really only one Henry, there can be more than one of him at a time.
  • Clare Puzzles Over Henry

    Clare (13) thinks over the idea of "Henry the Time-Traveling Geezer" (as he referred to himself), realizing that she feels his presence when he isn't there and how much she misses him. She thinks he's special and wishes to be closer to him.
  • Henry and Clare Discuss Beliefs

    Henry (35) talks a bit about the future and explains his beliefs of free will and determinism. Clare (13), at the start of adolescence, weighs her thoughts on her religious beliefs versus her skepticism about free will when the future appears so solid.
  • Clare Sees Disturbing Events

    Clare (13) is woken up by what she thinks is the voice of Henry calling her name. She runs outside to see her father and brother Mark talking to Henry (43), gathered on the lawn observing something Clare doesn't see. She fears something bad has happened, but she is shooed back to the house before she finds out.
  • Henry Lets Slip a Secret

    Henry (38) is waiting for Clare (15) after school in the Reading Room in her house. He accidentally implies her mother is no longer around in his time and tries to cover it up. But when she inquires, he admits her mom died of ovarian cancer.
  • Henry Tells Clare About Their Future Relationship

    Henry (32) is invited by Clare (16) to join her as she drives to a friend's party. He waits in the car whiles she chats with friends, and he is nearly identified by one of Clare's friends. When they leave, Henry tells Clare he loves her and that they are married in the future.
  • Henry and Clare Team Up

    Henry (32) learns that a boy Clare (16) dated abused her when she wouldn't put out, so he and she plot revenge. Henry attacks the guy at gunpoint, takes him into the woods, and lets Clare call the shots. At the end of a humiliating debacle, Clare calls up several girls to come see what she did. The next day, she is applauded in the locker room. When Henry returns to July 12, 1995, Clare (24) thanks him for that day.
  • Attempting to Violate the Space-Time Continuum

    Henry (36) is sketched by Clare (17), and when she dates the drawing he says it isn't dated in the future. To see what happens, Clare keeps the date on the picture. But when Henry returns to the future (January 13, 2000), the sketch is still undated. When Henry asks about it, Clare (28) tells him that she had cut it off later that day because she worried about its effects.
  • Christmas Eve in the Reading Room

    Henry (40) seems depressed to Clare (17), on Christmas Eve, so she asks him about it. Then, he tells her the story of his mother and how he is drawn to her death via time traveling. He has watched her death several times from different places, and he feels he should have died as well.
  • Christmas Eve in the Emergency Room

    Henry (25) spends his Christmas Eve trying not to think of his mother. He goes to the Berghoff for dinner, then the Get Me High Lounge to get as inebriated as possible. The bartender keeps the drinks coming, and Henry passes out. He wakes up in the hospital after having his stomach pumped.
  • Clare Introduces Henry

    Henry (40) appears unexpectedly in the Meadow. Clare (17) is taking her grandmother for a walk when she sees him. He is quickly introduced to her grandma, but he had to leave soon after. Clare's grandma was confused, so Clare explained the whole ordeal to her.
  • Clare's 18th Birthday

    Henry (41) appears for the last time to Clare (18) on her birthday. They have a picnic, and she tells him that the last time he had appeared, he had promised to have sex with her. He fulfills his promise before he leaves, telling her he loves her before she goes.
  • Clare's Biggest Secret

    Clare (18) awakens in the morning after having sex with Gomez. She is filled with regret because she cheated on her friend and she thought Henry would hate her. She does not tell Henry (41) about this until February 10, 2005, fearing his reaction. However, Henry just laughs because it was so long ago.
  • Henry Hears About Clare

    Henry (26) is on a date with a girl named Ingrid when Gomez approaches him, saying that Clare says hello. He is confused as to who Clare is, but he has a feeling he will find out.
  • Henry and Clare Meet

    For the first time in real time, Henry (28) and Clare (20) meet at the Newberry Library. Clare asks him on a date and explains how he used to visit her as a child.
  • Henry Meets Clare's Friends

    Henry (28) is invited to Clare's (28) apartment for dinner. She shares the apartment with her friend Charisse Bonavant, and Charisse's boyfriend Jan Gomolinski (aka: Gomez) is also there. Gomez and Henry both seem to remember each other, and near the end of the day, they realize they met a club a few years before.
  • Henry Tells Gomez

    Gomez comes upon a Henry (36) from May 9, 2000 beating up one of his friends who insulted him. Gomez takes it well, and starts asking questions. After eating, Henry explains how he is a time traveler. He learns Clare already told him, but he was confirming stories.
  • Gomez Confronts Clare

    Gomez comes to Clare's (20) apartment and apologizes for not believing her about Henry. He then tells her that he is not right for her and that she shouldn't stay with him. Clare explains that she's known him her whole life and she knows they are meant to be.
  • Day of the Violent Femmes Concert

    Henry (28) is woken in the morning by an older Henry (33) from November 13, 1996. Henry (28) goes to the concert with Clare (20), Gomez, and Charisse. Henry is confronted by an old girlfriend and has a fight with her. Clare finds her later in the bathroom, where she is warned that Henry is bad news. She leaves and meets Henry (33), who tells her that his younger self needs her to become the man she loves.
  • Henry Meets the Abshires

    Henry (28) is invited to spend Christmas with Clare's (20) family. The whole trip is tense because Clare's brother, Mark, has gotten a girl pregnant and is going to marry her because of his Catholic faith. Clare's mother acts rather psychotic during the episode, and there are many fights that break out. Henry time travels to the 28th of the month during Mass, but no one notices.
  • Preparing for an Engagement

    Henry (28) goes to his father's house to ask if he can use his mother's rings to propose to Clare (20). He meets Kimy, who was like an aunt to him as a child practically raised him after his mother passed. He and his dad fight and resolve their differences, and his dad gives him the rings.
  • Birthday Surprise

    Clare turns 21 and Henry (28) prepares a home-cooked meal for her. They discuss their sex life and then Henry gives her a gift in the form of a question: "Will you marry me? Clare says yes, saying that actually, she already has.
  • Clare Meets Mr. DeTamble

    Henry (28) is worried that his father, Richard, won't like Clare (21) when they visit him. The dinner date at Kimy's starts off awkwardly, but Mr. DeTamble takes a shine to Clare and all bad feelings are resolved.
  • Henry Deals With Ben

    Henry (30) goes to a pharmacist/chemist named Ben who has tried to give Henry drugs to keep him in the present. He gives him a formula for a brand that comes out in 2000. Gomez sees Henry with Ben and warns Clare (22) about him being a maniac, but Clare ignores him. Henry also tells Clare that he knows that oldest he seems to be when he travels is 43; after that remains unclear. The next day, Henry has an attack from the drugs and is rushed to the hospital, where he is saved.
  • Wedding Day

    The day starts out normally, but Henry (30) travels back in time to June 13, 1976, missing out on his wedding. Luckily, Henry (38) from March 2, 2002 shows up in time to marry Clare at the altar. He stays for most of the reception, but the Henry of the present returns for dinner, while his older self returns to his time.
  • House Hunting

    Henry (30) and Clare (22) begin looking for a house they can move in to. Henry seems to reject all of the houses they find, and when Clare asks, he says that he's already seen the house they end up in, but he'll only know it by its view into the backyard. About a month later, Clare finds the house, and on July 9 they move in.
  • Scary Events

    Henry (31) and Clare (23) are playing a game with Charisse and Gomez in their home when there is a crash from the kitchen. Henry goes in and finds himself (31) on the floor, bleeding from his head. He vanishes soon after, but not before Charisse and Gomez witness the sight. Everyone is scared about what has happened.
  • Thinking About Family

    Clare (24) is at Kimy's house when Henry (8) appears. He disappears soon after, but Kimy puts the idea in her head that she wants kids. That night, she tells Henry (32) about her idea.
  • Ingrid's Suicide

    Henry (43) appears in Ingrid's apartment the day she is supposed to commit suicide. He tries to prevent it, but in the end she still takes her life. Henry returns to December 18, 2006, and Clare (35) comforts him. Then Henry tells Clare that his time is coming, too. He won't tell her the date, but he looked it up in an old obituary in the future.
  • Henry Meets Dr. Kendrick

    Henry (32) learned from Clare that a Dr. Kendrick helps him in the future with his "abilities." He finally finds him and tells him his situation. Dr. Kendrick does not believe him, so Henry gives him some future information that concerns the doctor's unborn son.
  • Second Meeting With Dr. Kendrick

    Henry (32) predicts specific details about Dr. Kendrick's son, who was born on April 6. Dr. Kendrick is bewildered and asks to see Henry again. Henry gives him more details about his situation, and Kendrick actually sees him disappear to 1971 to meet himself (8). After the display and his reappearance, Dr. Kendrick accepts that Henry is telling the truth.
  • Problem in Pregnancy

    In the morning, Clare (25) is having a normal morning when she suddenly seems to be having her period and cramps, though she is pregnant. Henry (32) has disappeared, so she calls Charisse to take her to the hospital. The baby is about two weeks old, but it is miscarried. Henry appears later and comforts Clare.
  • Second Miscarriage

    In the middle of the night, Henry (34) wakes up to the smell of blood. Clare (26) is covered in blood from another miscarriage, and they sit up and cry for a long time.
  • Decoding the Gene

    On a snowy afternoon, Dr. Kendrick calls with news that he has managed to decode Henry's chromosomes and located the time traveling gene. He says he will begin experiments with mice to make them time travel and then cure them.
  • Clare's Mother Passes

    Clare (27) has been watching her mother, who is fading fast. In the early morning hours, she dies.
  • Hope in Mice

    Dr. Kendrick tells Henry (36) and Clare (28) that he has managed to make time traveling mice and let the females have babies. It seems like the answer to their miscarriage problems, but Henry worries that Clare could die in the process.
  • Hope From Henry

    Henry (39) from 2002 meets Clare (28) on the street. He tells her that in his present, they have a baby, and she should persevere and keep trying. Clare thanks him and holds onto hope.
  • Desperate Measures

    Henry (36) is heartbroken seeing Clare (29) sad about her miscarriages so he decides to have a vasectomy so they don't repeatedly go through the ordeal. Before he can get into the office, he time travels to November 19, 1986, where he tells Clare he feels bad and kisses her for the first time. When he returns, he tells Clare and has a vasectomy four weeks later.
  • Clare Gets Pregnant

    Henry (33) from 1996 meets Clare (29) and they have sex. Because he is from a different time, Clare hopes her seventh attempt to have a baby will be okay. On February 12, 2001, Clare tells Henry (37) that she is pregnant.
  • Naming Their Baby

    Henry (38) and Clare (30) are two weeks away from the due date and haven't picked a name for their girl. Clare suggests Alba, and when they look it up, they find it means "white; dawn of day." They like it, so their baby is named Alba DeTamble.
  • Birthday

    Clare (30) starts having contractions on the 5th of September, and Henry (38) and she go to the hospital. She goes into labor in the early morning, and Alba is born, with Henry present. Richard DeTamble demands he teaches her about music, and Henry and Clare happily agree.
  • Clare Sees Older Alba

    Henry (41) is looking into the backyard, watching Alba (3) play with an older Alba. Clare (34) is shocked, but she recovers and they all go out for ice cream. Henry tells the older Alba not to tell Clare he is dead in the future.
  • Losing Parts

    Henry (43) disappears from the present. Clare (35) does not see him until that night; he appears to her, half-frozen to death, and she takes him to the emergency room. Henry stays in the hospital until October 10. His feet are completely frostbitten and thus removed. He is sentenced to life in a wheelchair.
  • New Year's Party

    Claire (35) throws a party for New Year's. Henry (43) is a little worried, but he relaxes slightly. He uses the party as a way to keep Clare in company and to say good-bye because he knows he's going to die soon. They have one last kiss, and then about 10 seconds before the new year starts, Henry disappears.
  • The Death of Henry

    After vanishing from their New Year's Eve Party just before the new year, Henry (43) reappears bleeding on their porch. He was shot in October 27, 1984. His last words to Clare (35) and Alba are "Love you...always...world enough...and time..."
  • Henry's Letter

    Clare (35) finds a letter written to her on December 10, 2006 from Henry. He tells her he loves her eternally and he is with her always.
  • Henry Meets Alba for the First Time

    While traveling into the future, Henry (38) goes into the Art Institute of Chicago. He runs into a group of touring students, and Alba pops up and introduces herself. She explains how she can time travel, too and is called a CDP (Chrono-Displaced Person). Sadly, Henry also learns that in Alba's present, he is dead.
  • Clare Waits

    Clare (83) is alone in the morning in her house near a lake. She drinks tea, thinks of Henry, and waits for him to come. She does not have to wait long.
  • Late Meeting

    Henry (43) meets Clare (83) as an old woman. At first he doesn't recognize her, but when she turns towards him, they recognize each other. They embrace, happily ever after.