When an empathetic young boy is kidnapped by a mysterious figure known as "The Messenger," his divorce-bound parents are desperate to find answers, unaware that their child's fate is connected to another youngster with a propensity for violence.

SYNOPSIS:

Author’s note: Our Neighborhood implements a unique dual story that interweaves the life events of Lynn and Lukas. For the sake of simplicity, this summary will start with Lynn’s story then go to Lukas’ before concluding with the final act. It’s important to note, the actual script isn’t told in this fashion.

The story begins with LYNN ABBOTT, an empathetic eight-year-old, sneaking out of his parent’s house to escape their constant fighting. On his way to a friend’s house, he encounters a mysterious man known only as the MESSENGER, who forcefully kidnaps him. In the Messenger’s captivity, Lynn is told he was kidnapped to help his parent’s marriage with the goal of ultimately bringing them closer than ever.

His parents, PETER and ANNIE, soon realize the horror come to life and work with Peter’s college friend, Officer Clarence BRADLEY, to find him. Peter immediately has his suspicions about the Messenger but with no evidence to connect him, it’s a long shot. The search seems to takes a turn for the worst when a burnt body turns up in the area and seems to permanently split Peter and Annie’s marriage.

While Peter and Annie’s marriage is put through the ultimate test, we also follow the story of LUKAS, an emotionally distant and psychopathic eleven-year-old. He’s experiencing increasingly violent behaviors all while struggling to maintain any kind of relationship with his family. His mother, JOANN, seems to be blinded by his actions while his father, RUSSELL, encourages him to indulge in his actions. Most contentious though, is the relationship with his older brother NIKOLAUS.

The two stories converge when the Messenger rushes to the hospital where it’s revealed that he himself is Lukas and he killed his older brother when he was eleven. He confesses this to a comatose Russell but Joann overhears him and is left devastated. With his secret finally revealed, he returns to his house and promises Lynn that he’ll take him back home.

His plan goes awry when Peter breaks into his house in an attempt to find Lynn for himself. The men fight and, with the help of Lynn, Peter is ultimately victorious with the Messenger severely beaten. Back in the care of his parents, Annie expresses her concern to Peter after the Messenger explains how he thinks Lynn will end up in the same cycle as him.

The story ends with Peter reassuring her that hope will prevail.