Trama

A burglar falls for an heiress as she dies in his arms. When he learns that he has the gift of reincarnation, he sets out to save her.

New York City is subsumed in arctic winds, dark nights, and white lights, its life unfolds, for it is an extraordinary hive of the imagination, the greatest house ever built, and nothing exists that can check its vitality. One night in winter, Peter Lake (Colin Farrell), orphan and master-mechanic, attempts to rob a fortress-like mansion on the Upper West Side. Though he thinks the house is empty, the daughter of the house is home. Thus begins the love between Peter, an Irish burglar in his early 20's, and Beverly Penn (Jessica Brown Findlay), a young girl, who is dying.—Jack

Around the early 20th century, an orphan with a gift for the mechanical, Peter Lake, has spent a rather shady life under the influence of Pearly Soames. As he ends an unsuccessful mansion robbery attempt, he meets the homeowners daughter, Beverly, a beauty with long red tresses who is apparently dying of consumption. Thus begins a tale of love, happiness & sadness, and certain magical objects/people/events.—Bill

SPOILERS: In 1895, a couple of immigrants are not allowed to entry into the United States because the man has consumption (a.k.a. tuberculosis) and they leave their baby son in a miniature sailboat named "City of Justice", to be adopted by some family. In 1916, in New York, the baby has grown up and is the burglar Peter Lake, who was raised by the demon and gangster Pearly Soames. When Peter confronts Pearly, he orders his men to kill him but Peter is saved by a flying white horse. Peter decides to rob one last house and leave New York, but he meets the red-haired twenty-year old Beverly Penn that is dying of consumption and they immediately fall in love with each other. They decide to flee to the North to the Lake of the Coheeries, where Pearly has no jurisdiction and is not allowed to go by Lucifer. Pearly believes that Peter will use his miracle and spiritual destiny that everyone is born with to save Beverly and he uses another angel to poison Beverly. Peter does not succeed in saving her and when she dies, returns to New York and Pearly throw him off the Brooklyn Bridge. However Peter does not die and wanders for almost a century without memories until 2014, when he meets the little red-haired Abby, who is dying of cancer, and her mother Virginia Gamely. Now he believes that he can save Abby, but Pearly is hunting him down. Will Peter succeed in using his miracle this time?—Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

In 1895, a young immigrant couple is refused entry into Manhattan because they have consumption. When their infant son is not allowed entry to the country without them, the couple place him in a model sailboat named "City of Justice," in which the baby floats to the New York City shoreline. In 1916, the baby boy has grown up to become Peter Lake (Colin Farrell), a thief raised by a supernatural demon posing as the gangster Pearly Soames (Russell Crowe). Peter is marked for death when he decides to leave Pearly's gang. In a confrontation, he is rescued by a mysterious (winged at times) white horse, his guardian angel. Although Peter hopes to move to Florida and come back in the summer, the horse encourages him to steal from one last mansion. The mansion is the home where Beverly Penn (Jessica Brown Findlay) lives, a young woman dying of consumption, whose fever is so high she sleeps outside in a tent in the winter cold. While her publisher father Isaac (William Hurt) and younger sister Willa are not home, Beverly discovers Peter preparing to rob the house. When Peter assures her that he no longer wishes to commit robbery, Beverly offers to make him a cup of tea. They tell each other their stories and fall in love. Pearly orders his men to Beverly's home, believing that saving her is Peter's "miracle" and spiritual destiny and that he can destroy Peter by preventing it. Peter rescues Beverly from being knifed by Pearly, and they escape to the Lake of the Coheeries, where Pearly, who is supernaturally limited to the five boroughs of New York City, cannot follow. Peter meets Beverly's family at their summer home and wins their respect..

In 1895, a young immigrant couple is refused entry into Manhattan because they have consumption. When their infant son is not allowed entry to the country without them, the couple decide to place him in a model sailboat named "City of Justice" to float there safely.

In 1916, the infant boy has grown up to be Peter Lake (Colin Farrell), a thief who was raised by a demon posing as the gangster Pearly Soames (Russell Crowe). But when Peter decides to leave Pearly's gang and the only life he's known, Pearly is infuriated, and has his gang hunt down Peter. Peter is rescued by a mysterious white horse, his guardian angel. Although Peter hopes to move to Florida and come back in the summer, the horse encourages him to steal from one last mansion. The mansion is the home of Beverly Penn (Jessica Brown Findlay), a young woman dying of tuberculosis. While her publisher father Isaac and younger sister Willa go out, feverish Beverly takes a cold bath. She goes downstairs to play the piano while Peter is trying to unlock the safe. Peter discovers Beverly and she makes him a cup of tea. They tell each other about their stories and fall in love.

Pearly uncovers Peter's "escape" and orders his men to Beverly's home, believing that saving Beverly is to be Peter's "miracle," who will tip the balance between good and evil toward good, permanently. While preparing to leave with his mysterious white horse, Peter goes back to see Beverly one more time and is almost killed by Pearly. Peter rescues Beverly and they escape to the Lake of the Coheeries (where Pearly, bound to the five boroughs of New York, cannot follow). Peter meets Beverly's family at their summer home. Isaac is at first skeptical of Peter, but later accepts him when he fixes an out-of-control furnace and saves both Isaac and the house. While on a walk, Beverly explains to Peter that everyone is born with a miracle inside and when she dies, she will become a star, but his miracle is still inside him.

Pearly goes to see the devil, Lucifer, who is also referred to as "Judge," asking to gain access to Peter at Beverly's Lake home; the Judge refuses. So, Pearly calls in a debt owed to him by one of Lucifer's angels and orders the angel to poison Beverly. At a ball, the man ordered to poison Beverly disguises himself as a servant and poisons Beverly's drink. When she returns home, Peter sneaks up to the tent where she sleeps, and they make love. Afterwards, as Beverly tries to tell Peter something, she suddenly dies. Peter carries her to the greenhouse, where Willa made an "enchanted" bed (like Snow White's), which could save a princess from dying. With a kiss, Peter attempts to resuscitate Beverly, but is too late and he weeps over her body.

During the funeral, Willa gives a distraught Peter a sprig of baby's breath from Beverly's coffin. As Peter and Horse are about to leave, Pearly and his men surround them on the Brooklyn Bridge. Peter orders Horse to leave (to save himself) and Pearly gives Peter four head-butts and pushes him off the bridge. Peter miraculously survives but wanders around the city with amnesia for a century, drawing chalk art of a red-headed girl on the pavements.

A century later - in 2014, Peter bumps into a girl named Abby and meets her mother, Virginia Gamely (Jennifer Connelley). He rediscovers the "City of Justice" plaque from the toy sailboat his parents placed him in as a baby to get to New York. Pearly discovers that Peter did not die by falling off the Brooklyn Bridge and is still alive. Peter then discovers the Theatre of the Coheeries, founded by Isaac who has dedicated it to Beverly. He goes to the library where Virginia works, who helps him get his memory back by helping him find out about the one clue he has on his person, the Coheeries. Virginia finds a film catalog on Coheeries, with photos of Isaac, Beverly, etc., which brings Peter's memory back. While there, he meets Willa (who is now very old, but Peter hasn't aged at all), who is grown up and became Virginia's boss for her newspaper.

When they discover Peter's location, Pearly again orders his men to go kill him. When he is at Virginia's apartment for dinner, her daughter Abby has a seizure and Peter learns that Abby has cancer and realizes that Abby is Peter's "miracle." He convinces Virginia he can save Abby. When Pearly and his men arrive, Peter and Virginia flee to the rooftop with Abby, where they find the horse waiting to rescue them. The horse flies them to the Lake of the Coheeries, but Pearly has become mortal to pursue Peter. Just as Peter, Virginia, and Abby are within sight of the greenhouse, Pearly and his men arrive. Horse flies away and lands hard on the ice, which breaks, and Pearly's men drown. Peter and Pearly engage in a fistfight and Peter stabs Pearly with the "City of Justice" plaque. Pearly turns to ice and dies.

Peter and Virginia desperately take Abby and lay her gently on the bed in the greenhouse, but lose hope, even after Peter lays the flower given to him by Willa. Abby then comes back to life and Peter brings both Virginia and Abby home with a brighter future ahead. The film ends with Peter and the horse, thundering through the streets of Manhattan, suddenly leaping into the sky and flying into the night sky to become stars and to reunite with Beverly as Virginia, Abby, and Willa look up.