Forty years after they were sexually abused by a pedophile at their beloved Boy Scout camp, three men set out to confront their attacker. 

SYNOPSIS:

Synopsis - "Summer of Lies" (2019) - A drama inspired by true events

The story begins in 1978. For Marty McDonald and his teenage friends, working at Camp Hollow Pine is the summer job of a lifetime. The Boy Scout camp has everything – a glassy lake for canoeing, archery and firearm shooting ranges, and a legendary “Ghost Elk” that watches over the boys like a guardian angel.

But Camp Hollow Pine harbors a dark secret. Scott Crane, the assistant camp director, is a manipulative pedophile with a long history of abusing young men. And he has his sights set on Marty.

When Marty’s heart is broken by a girl he likes back home, Scott steps in and comforts him. What Marty doesn’t realize is that Scott is grooming him to become a sexual partner.

Fast forward 40 years. During lunch with one of his old camp colleagues, Marty learns about the suicide of fellow Scout Steve Warren – a death directly tied to a teenage sexual encounter with Scott Crane.

Angry, and realizing he is not the only boy who suffered abuse at the hands of the camp pedophile, Marty organizes a reunion of the men he worked with in 1978. His goal: Find out if there were other victims.

Marty is the first to arrive at Camp Hollow Pine for the reunion. Haunted by the incident of Scott’s abuse, and depressed by the recent break-up of his marriage, Marty contemplates taking his own life. But before he can do anything, his actions are interrupted by the arrival of his best friend, Rusty Williams, and six other familiar faces from the summer of 1978.

As the men rekindle their relationships and mourn the passing of Steve Warren, more disturbing abuse incidents involving Scott come to light. For Rusty, it happened on a night hike. For Robert Brubaker, it happened at Scott’s apartment.

While Marty continues to hide his own case of abuse, he, Rusty and Robert vow to confront Scott, whom they now know lives in Portland. Scott’s life as a pedophile continues, and the list of victims is growing.

After the reunion, Marty stays behind to clean up. We hear a gunshot. We believe Marty has taken his own life.

"Summer of Lies" concludes with a series of paybacks. At his office in Portland, Scott opens an envelope and finds a photograph of the 1978 camp staff. A note from Marty reminds him of the innocent lives he destroyed. “Be prepared,” Marty says. “Your day is coming.”

Walking the streets of Portland, Scott sees Marty’s face – first in a clothing store, and later in the window of a passing bus. Is this Marty’s ghost come back for revenge?

At a diner, Steve Warren’s widow confronts Scott and blames him for her husband’s death.

Disguised as reporters, Rusty Williams and Robert Brubaker infiltrate a press conference where Scott is introducing details about a new youth camp. Rusty asks about night hikes. Robert asks Scott why he left Camp Hollow Pine. When Scott realizes the two men are not reporters, they introduce themselves as victims of sexual abuse and the camera crews surround them.

Scott returns to his office to find Marty McDonald inside. He tells his assistant to call the police.

“We all trusted you, and you betrayed us,” Marty tells Scott, who responds with, “it was a one-time thing.” Marty questions his math skills and reminds him of the abuse suffered by himself, Steve, Rusty, Robert and Danny. “I want you to remember their names, their faces, their pain,” Marty says.

A policeman enters the office and Scott’s assistant points to Marty. “That’s him.” But the officer cuffs Scott. “You’ve been charged with contributing to the sexual delinquency of a minor,” says the officer.

“You did this,” Scott shouts back at Marty. “No, Scott. You did this,” Marty replies.

The story ends with Marty and Rusty at a waterfront café. Marty tells his best friend that - after the reunion - he walked to the camp shooting range. He placed a copy of the black-and-white camp staff photograph on a target retrieval carrier and sent it by pulley across the shooting range. He made sure he could see Scott’s face.

Marty points his pistol at the photograph, but at the last minute places the gun under his chin. There is a rustling in the trees, then a glowing light in the forest. The Ghost Elk – the guardian angel of the camp – stares at Marty, who slowly lowers the gun.

“He (the Ghost Elk) disappeared without a sound,” Marty tells Rusty, “and I realized that Crane would never hurt any of us again.” Marty raises the gun, points it at the photograph, and fires. The blast obliterates the section of the photograph with Scott’s face.

(A comparable film is “Spotlight,” which focuses on child sexual abuse within the Catholic Church. “Summer of Lies” would likely carry an “R” or “PG-13” rating.)