当Phil Walden游荡在他荒芜家乡的街道上时，童年记忆中的夏日又回来了。这个夏日他在成长。这个夏日陌生人来到了镇上。陌生人 Eli 的到来打破了镇民平静的生活。两个男孩对他的秘密充满了好奇。Eli 要重新唤醒这个小镇的活力时，孩子们成了他的左膀右臂。用他那老式照相机记录着小镇生活的点点滴滴。但是，Eli 不断的拍摄使他们改变了对小镇的认识。当孩子们认识到自己身处世界的真实本质时，稚嫩的好奇转变成了绝望。这种认识加上Eli 隐藏的真实目的威胁到了整个城镇的存在。

John Marino is a Florida construction worker struggling to make ends meet, while bringing up his son, Chris, and dealing with the increasing irrationality of Mary, his schizophrenic wife. For Chris, his mother's erratic behavior begins to have negative consequences at school. And, after Mary's hospitalization, a lonely John begins to build a sailboat that recalls a happier time in his life. Underlying the relationship between father and son is the belief that Mary will be better and the fear that she never will.