In a series of commentaries on the human condition — life, truth, happiness, death — a spinster sister takes in her dead sister’s children; a man is entranced by the endless waves which roll and crash in the ocean; a carpenter wrestles with the burden of being everyone’s confidante; a dying railroad crossing watchman shares a simple but complex wisdom.

Two men from the same small town share stories about a pivotal moment from their past, revealing a decades-old coincidence that explains their drastically different paths.

A little girl acts out on purpose for the first time when she hacks her family's knives after her father told her not to.

A man in his thirties recounts two separate memories: being stranded in the middle of a blocked highway, and waiting for his partner inside an abortion clinic. Years after these events have occurred, he contemplates the similarities between them.

A woman on a grand jury hears the case of an older woman who was brutally raped by one of her former students. She attempts to understand the different ways the story disturbs her.

When a ten-year-old boy stands up at a family dinner and declares he wants to meet God, his proclamation spurs a series of philosophical debates.

After a boy finds a dime on the ground, he buys a load of bread — only to have it stolen by his abusive uncle. The boy must decides if he wants to stand up against his uncle, or accept yet another loss.

A home invasion brings out the worst in a young boy.

A father tells his twenty-year-old son how he was married suddenly to his son's mother at a young age.

A young boy and his classmates meet Ms. Ferenczi, a strange substitute teacher with intense travel stories and peculiar mathematical theories to share. However, her comments become controversial and the children must decide if they want her around the classroom.