Ethan Wate

Every night Ethan dreams of a girl he has never seen. Then she turns up at school: Lena Duchannes, niece of Macon Ravenwood, the most talked-about and least-seen man in Gatlin. Emily Asher's crowd turns on her the first day. Ethan does the opposite and goes after Lena, knowing the whole town will talk. One rainy night he gives her a ride, and they realize they already know each other from their dreams.

In the ruins of an old plantation, Ethan and Lena find a locket. When they touch it together, they see Civil War scenes: Genevieve Duchannes and Ethan Carter Wate, his ancestor, in love. Ethan learns Lena is a Caster and that their families have been tied together for over a century. Amma, who keeps his house, knows far more than she says.

Ethan learns that Amma, the housekeeper who has looked after him since he was little, is a Seer. She also keeps the secret Caster library hidden beneath the town, where the books that explain the Duchannes curse are stored. Amma likes Lena but fears what the bond could cost Ethan. Between pies and charms, she tries to protect him without telling him everything she knows.

Mrs. Lincoln, the mother of his best friend, Link, leads a campaign to get Lena kicked out of school. Ethan stands by her at town meetings and in class. Meanwhile Lena's cousin Ridley slips into their lives and shows Ethan how tempting the family's dark side can be. Link, who always has Ethan's back, falls for her act. Ethan realizes that being with Lena means taking on the town and her own family.

To break the curse, someone Lena loves has to die. She wipes their love from Ethan's memory. On her birthday, at a Civil War reenactment, Ethan seems to die, but the one who falls is Macon, disguised as him. Six months later, Ethan remembers nothing and goes on as if Lena had never existed. When he and Link reach the town line, the memories come back, and he calls out for Lena.

In the book, Ethan is 16 and narrates the story. Jack O'Connell was originally cast in the role but left over a scheduling conflict, and Alden Ehrenreich took over.