When a troubled English professor's life unravels after the death of his abusive father, he must confront the past to reconnect with his rebellious teenage daughter and build a hopeful future.

SYNOPSIS:

The screenplay follows Kemp, a troubled adjunct professor and father, as his life unravels after the death of his abusive father. After losing his teaching job and getting the boot from his second wife, Charlie, he is forced to take sole care of Kate, his spiraling daughter by his first wife. He finds an unexpected source of emotional support in a woman he starts going out with, Ana Maria, who connects with Kate, in part, because her husband abducted her young son and has proven to be untraceable. Kemp agrees to help his mother run the family bookstore, but filling in for his deceased father proves to be too emotionally taxing, not only for him but also for his daughter who harbors a secret about abuse she suffered at her grandfather's hands. Her acting out escalates, as she becomes mostly truant from school and starts seeing an older boy. Following a car accident that hospitalizes her, Charlie demands to have Kate move back in with her. The story culminates with Kemp's realization that his father sexually abused both him and Kate, a missing puzzle piece that promises to make sense of his and Kate's turmoil. He resolves to reconnect with Kate and build a life with Ana Maria, but he is left wrestling with his trauma, his alcohol abuse, and his shortcomings as a parent.