Plot Summary

Set in the Wicker Park neighborhood of Chicago, Wicker Park centers on Matthew (Josh Hartnett), a young man whose life is irrevocably altered the moment he notices Lisa (Diane Kruger) through the window of his workplace, gazing into the shoe store owned by his best friend, Luke. From that instant, Matthew becomes consumed with the desire to meet her. Against all odds, their paths cross, and the two quickly fall into an intense and passionate romance.

Without warning, Lisa suddenly disappears. Matthew later learns from her dance instructor that she has accepted an offer from a theater company in London. Her silent departure leaves Matthew devastated, unable to understand why she vanished without explanation.

Two years later, Matthew returns to Chicago after a period spent in New York. He tells Luke (Matthew Lillard) that he has entered the advertising business and is now engaged to his boss’s daughter. He is also preparing for an important business trip to China. Although he tries to rebuild his life, the mystery surrounding Lisa’s disappearance continues to haunt him. During this time, Luke has fallen deeply in love with a woman named Alex (Rose Byrne).

One evening, while waiting for his fiancée at a restaurant, Matthew becomes convinced he has seen Lisa again. Abandoning his flight and any sense of rational judgment, he chooses to remain in Chicago, determined to uncover the truth behind her disappearance. His search soon turns into an obsession. In the midst of his emotional turmoil, he meets a captivating woman—Alex, unaware that she is Luke’s girlfriend. What Matthew does not yet realize is that Alex harbors an obsession of her own, and he is the object of it.

Wicker Park unfolds as a tense and emotionally charged romantic thriller, exploring obsession, coincidence, and the fragile line between love and illusion, where every choice reshapes destiny.