Відтоді як у містечку зникають троє дітей, вразливого 11-річного Едріена переповнюють страхи та тривоги. Одного дня по сусідству селиться Ніколь з малими братом та сестрою. Це загадкова, божевільна, дивна та прекрасна дівчина. Можливо, саме на них Едріен і чекав.

Adrian is a classic outsider. His playful, dreamy imagination distracts him from everyday life, for the reality he lives in could not be more different. Neither his chronically depressed uncle nor his overworked grandmother understand the ten-year-old’s games. His mother abandoned him when he was very young and he is bullied at school. Just as news arrives that three children are missing, a new family moves in next door. Adrian develops a close relationship to their tomboyish, ten-year-old daughter Nicole and believes he is getting close to solving the mys- tery of the missing children. New Zealand forms the backdrop for this universal story for adults and those who have never wanted to grow up. It is a story about friendship and loneliness, emotions which Adrian already feels so poignantly as a child. The Danish first-time director’s expressive visual language dramatically merges water and air, reality and a hint of fantasy.

Tre børn i en naboby er blevet bortført. For den 11-årige Adrian, der tilbringer sine dage alene med at fantasere om alle de ting, som på én gang tiltrækker og skræmmer ham, sætter det gang i forestillingerne. Adrian, der er forældreløs og bor sammen med sin bedstemor og sin nedbrudte onkel i en stille, lille by i New Zealand, ser verden hastigt ændre sig. Hans bedste ven, Clinton, dropper ham til fordel for skolens seje drenge, hans onkel opfører sig tiltagende underligt, og en familie flytter ind ved siden af. Adrian indleder et venskab med sin nye nabo, den jævnaldrende Nicole, en vild og særpræget pige med en mystisk fortid.