Detective Tom Adkins’ (JON HAMM) son Tommy Jr. disappears on a fateful Fourth of July afternoon, and in the ensuing eight years Tom’s work becomes an obsession for him. Tom attempts to solve the case of his missing son, but his efforts have yielded only one solid suspect – an already jailed and convicted kidnapper named Roggiani, whose current sentence is on the verge of being commuted – and no concrete proof. As Tom buries himself in his work and shows no willingness to move on with his life, his marriage to Tommy Jr.’s mother Barbara (RHONA MITRA) suffers.
An early morning phone call leads Tom to the mangled remains of a young boy, buried in a box beneath the ground. At first Tom and Barbara believe that the victim could be Tommy Jr., but forensic evidence reveals that this boy was murdered 50 years prior. Driven to solve the murder as a means of exorcising his own demons, Tom uncovers the long-forgotten mystery of a man named Matthew Wakefield (JOSH LUCAS) and the disappearance of his son John (JIMMY BENNETT).
In 1958 Matthew’s wife commits suicide, and he faces a home under foreclosure and a lack of employment, as he attempts to provide for his three sons. His wife’s sister’s family agrees to take care of his two oldest boys while he attempts to establish a new life, but they cannot support John, a special needs child.
Matthew finds work at a construction site in the town of Barnstable, and his earnest, industrious nature endears him to his employer and his co-workers. However, he still has trouble finding someone to care for John, and his boss gives him an ultimatum after John spends yet another day at the site. One co-worker in particular that John befriends, Diploma (JAMES VAN DER BEEK), encourages Matthew to romance a married woman who has made advances toward him. She is Rose Montgomery (MORENA BACCARIN), and although Matthew initially proceeds with Diploma’s plan, he immediately realizes it is a mistake. Matthew leaves John in the car while he is with Rose, and it is at that time that John is abducted.
Tortured by guilt and grief, Matthew searches desperately for John, but he is unable to find him. He finds some measure of solace in Sally Ann, who becomes his second wife.
In 2008 Tom works to solve John’s murder. His tormented investigation leads him to find Matthew’s widow Sally Ann, and one of Matthew’s other sons, Luke. Through Sally Ann’s tale of Matthew’s hardship and emotional struggle so similar to his own, Tom finds some degree of comfort. Tom pieces together the evidence and concludes that Roggiani and Diploma are one and the same man, responsible for the murders of both John and Tommy Jr. In a final confrontation and interrogation with Roggiani, Tom finds the truth and the closure he has sought for so many years. Together, he and Barbara resolve to move forward with their lives.
© IFC Films. All rights reserved
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