Plot summary

Driven away from his hometown and small fishing community of Manchester-by-the-Sea, once-happy Lee Chandler is still incapable of forgiving himself, struggling to pick through the ruins of his utterly destroyed life in Boston. To make matters worse, an irrevocable disaster changes everything, and Lee, probably the least suitable candidate for this responsibility, finds himself burdened with the overwhelming duty of fostering his rebellious sixteen-year-old nephew, Patrick. Now, as Lee is forced to relocate to his old town, trying hard to make the necessary arrangements, the long-suppressed sorrow stemming from his ineffable personal tragedy, gradually exposes the profound layers of grief in his scathed psyche. Will melancholic Lee stop punishing himself for the sake of Patrick?—Nick Riganas