Plot

In a fashionable middle-class neighborhood outside Seattle, Phil Johnson, an African- American man is his seventies, lives a desolate life of an old recluse. Losing his son, Billy, at an early age, his wife a few years ago and now discarded and ignored by a youth-oriented society, he keeps a daily vigil at his living room window with only the ghosts from his past for companions. When the Brook family moves in next door, it is but another painful reminder to him that time and life has passed him by forever. There is nothing left in life for him. Or is there? Being a devout Christian his whole life, Mr. Johnson, with Bible in his hand, asks God to give him a sign as to why he should go on living. When all hope is gone, Mr. Johnson asks God to forgive him as he contemplates suicide. Joe Brook, on the other hand, is on the verge of realizing what many would say is living a true piece of the American Dream. A talented young architect with a beautiful wife and adoring little boy, his brilliant design innovations have earned him a partnership in the upwardly mobile architectural firm of an old classmate. At what price comes success? Joe's obsession with material achievement, seemingly the only way he knows how to express his love for his family, is causing the exact opposite of the intended effect, serving only to drive a wedge between himself and those for whom he supposedly works; his wife, Karen, and son, David. Joe unwittingly yet inexorably alienates himself from his family as the continuous words of his fathers ghost remind him that he will never make anything of himself. As Mr. Johnson is about to end his life, he hears a thump come from his back yard. He quickly goes to investigate and finds David has falling over the fence that divides their property and has skinned his knee. While aiding to David's knee, Mr. Johnson's thoughts take him back to when his own son needed attention. Was this the sign from God Mr. Johnson asked for? As time goes on and Joe's life spirals away from his family, first David and then Karen turn to Mr. Johnson for friendship and solace. Their need for simple kindness and understanding gently forces the old man to return to the world of the actively living, giving him renewed purpose; a second chance to feel alive, loved and appreciated. Unfortunately, their new friendship also serves to deepen the rift within the Brook family. When events transpire which suddenly threaten Joe with the loss of everything he's ever worked for, including his family, he must finally confront himself and his own haunted past. But it may be too late, for second chances are rare. Turning to an old man whom he had little use for, Joe, through Mr. Johnson and the Bible, finds the grace of God and the meaning of family. A simple but compelling story, "A Second Chance", takes an introspective look at the complex issues of the contemporary human and family dynamics, and demonstrates how the power of God can help us rediscover misplaced values of innocent and unconditional love.