Breaking The Surface

In a small town in 1994, a group of high school kids go swimming at the lake during the summer break, when Joe, a high school student pushes his best friend, Nick, off the cliff when he hesitates to jump into the water. Unfortunately, Nick doesn't land correctly in the water and ends up having a spinal cord injury causing him to be a paraplegic. The whole town blames Joe for pushing his best friend into the water. Nick's parents open a case against Joe wanting him to be punished for what happened and Joe and his family fight the rest of the year in court for his freedom and their parents forbid the two boys from speaking to each other again. The case is eventually dropped and Joe is a free man although the townspeople and Nick's family aren't satisfied. After high school ends that year Joe escapes the small town and runs away set on putting his past behind him. But years later when Joe's mother is ill and he needs to take care of her back in the small town after she refuses to leave the town behind, Joe is forced to be around the townspeople who still after all these years have not forgiven or forgotten. Nick, still lives in the house next door to his. Joe avoids Nick not ready to face him and feeling the same guilt still. Nick is also still being taken care of by his mother who still dislikes Joe. But when Joe accidentally walks into his backyard he comes face to face with Nick. But what Nick says surprises Joe and takes him down a path he never imagined.