Will has cystic fibrosis and is part of a clinical drug trial. He and Stella, another CF patient, fall in love but must maintain a distance due to their condition. Despite their deep connection, Will decides to leave to avoid risking Stella’s health, as his bacterial infection could be deadly to her.
In “Five Feet Apart,” Will Newman is a charming teenager with cystic fibrosis (CF), a genetic disorder that causes severe damage to the lungs, digestive system, and other organs. He is at the hospital for a clinical trial for a new drug that aims to treat his specific bacterial infection, B. cepacia, which makes his CF particularly dangerous and difficult to treat.
Stella Grant, another CF patient, meets Will during her hospital stay for a tune-up—routine treatments to help manage her CF. They quickly develop feelings for each other, but their medical condition requires that they stay at least six feet apart to reduce the risk of cross-infection. CF patients are particularly vulnerable to infections from other CF patients, which can be life-threatening.
As their relationship deepens, Stella and Will decide to take back one foot of the space between them, symbolically reducing the distance to five feet. However, they are constantly reminded of the dangers of their closeness, especially since Will’s B. cepacia could be fatal to Stella if she were to get infected.
Towards the end of the story, Stella’s best friend and fellow CF patient, Poe, dies, which deeply affects her. In a moment of recklessness and a desire to truly live, Stella decides to view the city lights with Will, disregarding the six-foot rule. However, this leads to Stella accidentally falling through ice into a frozen pond. Will, despite the risk to his own health, rescues her, but Stella is left unconscious.
When Stella wakes up, she is informed that a lung transplant is available for her. Realizing the gravity of their situation and the potential harm he could cause Stella, Will makes the heart-wrenching decision to leave her. He wants her to live a long life with her new lungs, free from the threat of his infection. The movie ends with them separated but still in love, as Will watches Stella’s lights from afar, symbolizing their connection despite the physical distance.
