Home by Spring

The film begins in Saint Francisville, Louisiana, where Loretta Johnson is helping her mother and her boyfriend, Wayne Hendricks, with a local event. Despite her talent, Loretta feels stifled by small-town life and decides to move to Los Angeles to pursue a career in event planning, leaving a heartbroken Wayne behind. Two years later, Loretta is working as an overworked assistant to the demanding Amy Bennett. When Amy falls ill, Loretta manages a high-profile birthday party where she is mistaken for Amy by Paul Perenti, a lawyer seeking to impress his girlfriend's billionaire father, Arthur Wellerson. Paul wants to host an outdoor retreat to prove he is a rugged outdoorsman, and believing Loretta is the 'boss' who grew up in the woods, he hires her. Loretta decides to lean into the lie to secure the Wellerson-Perenti wedding contract for the firm. She returns to Saint Francisville and convinces Wayne to host the retreat at his struggling Sundown Lodge, though she forces him to call her 'Amy' in front of the guests. The retreat is a comedy of errors as Paul, a city dweller, struggles with hiking and fishing while Wayne subtly challenges his lack of survival skills. Tensions rise when Loretta's LA boyfriend, Howard—an eccentric actor—shows up unannounced. To protect Loretta's cover, Howard adopts the persona of 'Pierce Bonham,' a pretentious gallery owner. This 'double lie' reaches a breaking point when Howard, caught up in his 'character,' proposes to Loretta in front of everyone. Loretta rejects the proposal and, consumed by guilt, eventually confesses her true identity to the group during a formal dinner. Arthur is initially furious at being deceived, and Paul is humiliated. However, Loretta uses her planning skills to facilitate a genuine reconciliation; she arranges for Paul's girlfriend, Michelle, to fly into town via a local crop duster to confront her father. Michelle demands her father's blessing, and Arthur, moved by Paul's willingness to endure the woods for love, finally grants it. Loretta returns to LA and is promoted to lead planner by the real Amy Bennett, who is thrilled with the new contract. However, realizing she is unhappy in the city, Loretta quits her dream job and returns home to Saint Francisville. The film concludes with Paul and Michelle's wedding at the Sundown Lodge, where Wayne proposes to Loretta with a ring he had been holding onto for years, and she happily accepts.