An epilogue is a section that comes at the end of a story, after the main action has concluded. It tells you what happened to the characters after the main plot wrapped up, sometimes years later.

Picture finishing a novel where the hero finally defeats the villain and saves the kingdom. The climax is over, the tension is resolved. But you still wonder: Did the hero ever get married? Did the kingdom stay peaceful? What became of the loyal sidekick? The epilogue answers those questions. It might jump forward five years to show the hero as a wise ruler, or ten years to reveal that the sidekick started a successful bakery.

Movies sometimes use epilogues too. Before the credits roll, you might see text on screen explaining that the real person the movie was based on went on to become a teacher, or that the rescued animals thrived in their new habitat.

The opposite of an epilogue is a prologue, which comes before the main story begins.