We Were Liars ending explained: What actually happened to Cadence?

All she knows is that she washed up on a beach without her beloved Liars by her side, didn't hear from them for the year she was in recovery from a fatal head injury and can't remember what happened to warrant such a change in their group dynamic.

Returning to her family's private island, Beechwood, Cadence is intent on piecing together what actually happened and thinks that exposure is the best thing to trigger memories – even if they do send her into debilitating waves of shock.

Based on the best-selling novel of the same name by E Lockhart, fans of the book will certainly know the major twist to come at the end.

But for those tuning into the story for the first time by way of the screen, they'll undoubtedly be left shocked at the twists unfolding in the final episode.

So, what happened to Cadence back in summer '16? Read on for a full breakdown of the final episode of We Were Liars.

We Were Liars ending explained: What actually happened to Cadence?

Fed up with her grandfather Harris's (David Morse) actions and the way he continues to pit his daughters and grandchildren against each other, Cadence remembers that, along with the Liars, they set Beechwood alight.

Left alone on the island in the wake of Harris's accident, the Liars devise a plan that involves making petrol bombs to throw into the main house and then each striking a match. Although Cadence remembers it as having a happy ending, she later realises what actually happened on the night in question.

Decanting petrol into wine bottles, the group make a plan to each take a specific room and then to meet Gat (Shubham Maheshwari) out on the dock at midnight to drive off on a boat.

Johnny (Joseph Zada) was to start in the attic, Mirren (Esther McGregor) would follow by setting her mother's childhood bedroom alight and Cadence was left to take care of the expansive living room.

Why were they burning the main house down? Well, they thought that by destroying Beechwood, it would force the Sinclair family to rebuild and repair bonds. And also, of course, to get back at Harris for not loving Gat and Ed (Rahul Kohli) as Sinclairs, as Cadence narrates.

Cadence then remembers that she made it out of the house as it burned down but was then stopped in her tracks by the sounds of the dogs barking.

She remembers that her mother gave them anti-anxiety medicine and put them in a room, so runs back in to get them. She can't get to them despite her best efforts, and she runs back out of the house and into the water as her dress continues to burn.

However, that is the wrong version of events, and Cadence has once again misremembered what happened – although she doesn't realise it.

The next day, on the beach, she chats to Harris and apologises for her part in the fire, but Harris says that Cadence was heroic; it was faulty wiring and the gas main which were to blame for the fire.

When Cadence asks if the Liars (including Gat) can come over for dinner, Harris dismisses her and instead gives her an 18th birthday present: her grandmother's coveted black pearl necklace.

When she opens them up, a flashback to the night of the fire comes back to Cadence as she remembers having the necklace in her hands when she was rescued by Harris and paramedics.

Soon, Cadence begins to remembers the night properly and asks the Liars to tell her the truth – but it isn't pleasant.

What happens to Gat, Mirren and Johnny at the end of We Were Liars?

They each describe the moments leading up to midnight, with Mirren going into her mother's childhood room and realising that she had been researching art restoration in a bid to restore the painting of Mirren's that she punched a hole in.

Clearly showing some growth in her actions, Mirren has a moment of brief pause but continues on pouring the petrol out. When the fire starts growing, though, she wraps the painting in a blanket and chucks it from the window.

Both Johnny and Mirren light their respective rooms but underestimate the strength of the fire. After waiting on the dock past midnight, Gat also fears the worst when nobody comes out, so goes in to look for them, narrowly missing Cadence, who runs out after trying to let out the dogs.

Nobody had thought of the gas line running through the house, and when she runs out of the building, Cadence realises that nobody is on the dock and turns back in horror, realising that Gat, Mirren and Johnny are all still in the burning house.

She's then rocked by the explosion of the gas line, which impacts her so much that she's thrown into the water.

Panning to the present day, newspaper frontals of the time confirm the worst: that Gat, Mirren and Johnny all died in the house fire. We then realise that Cadence has actually been seeing the ghosts of the Liars since returning to Beechwood.

Flashing back to previous scenes, we see that whenever Cadence would get a migraine or collapse was when she was actually faced with the truth and headlines of what happened.

The days after Cadence fully remembers what happens are filled with seeing the Liars separately in what appears to be final goodbyes.

Cadence then returns the black pearls to Harris, telling him that she has no desire to be the heir of the family. Harris confronts her with the truth, knowing that she committed arson that night, and basically threatens to expose her to the rest of the family.

Harris then announces that he's retiring from public life, but not before one final cover feature for TIME magazine, with a reporter set to come to the island to interview Harris but also for Cadence to put an end to rumours of a family curse.

The following day, Cadence finally sees Gat's ghost, and it's in their conversation that she uncovers yet another detail from the night of the fire – the fact that she delayed going to meet Gat on the dock to retrieve the black pearls for herself.

Although the necklace became a symbol of the intergenerational feuds in the family and was something that Cadence herself detested, she admitted she selfishly wanted the necklace for herself.

She blames herself for Gat's death, knowing that if she hadn't delayed herself by running upstairs to retrieve the necklace, she would've made it to the dock in time and Gat wouldn't have felt the need to run into the house to find her.

Now knowing the full truth of what happened, Cadence doesn't feel comfortable lying once again to a reporter for the sake of the family, but also doesn't know how to tell everyone the truth when it could hurt them more.

Faced with the decision, Gat tells Cadence that it's really up to her. Mirren and Johnny eventually join them and, for one last time, all the Liars cannonball into the water, with Cadence coming up for air and realising she's alone.

When the TIME magazine reporter arrives, the family gather for a photoshoot and Ed surprises everyone by making an appearance, now back together with Carrie (Mamie Gummer).

Cadence arrives, wearing the necklace that Gat gifted her, and has written his name on the back of her hand. Harris introduces Cadence to the reporter but she says she doesn't think she can help her with her interview after all.

Cadence then takes off her shoes and runs down the dock, jumps on a boat and rides off into the sunset, chucking the black pearl necklace into the sea.

While we don't get a follow-up, we're left to assume that Cadence has turned her back on the Sinclair family and forged a path of her own.

However, the very last scene of the series is one shared between Carrie and Johnny, with us realising that it isn't just Cadence who has been seeing ghosts.

When Carrie walks back into her holiday home before leaving, she quickly retrieves a pill from a secret stash but is interrupted by Johnny, who tells his mother that he doesn't think he can leave.

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