Signal Fires

From outside his window, Benjamin observes his neighbors’ young son, Waldo, searching for something outside, late at night. Ben is taking in the sights of his neighborhood of 40 years because he is moving out the next day. He sees Waldo’s father, Shenkman, on the rowing machine in his house, visible due to the lights being on. Ben strikes up a conversation with Waldo, and Waldo tells him that he’ll meet him at the magic tree. The magic tree is the oak tree that Theo crashed into years ago. Wildflowers have grown around it, a juxtaposition to the well-manicured lawns of the neighborhood.

At the magic tree, Waldo shows Ben his iPad, with a Star Walk app which scans the stars and allows him to identify constellations. Waldo is sensitive about his hobby because adults often dismiss or make fun of it. Ben is reminded of his own children, Sarah and Theo, and hurts for Waldo, who will likely face more challenges as he grows up. Waldo tearfully tells Ben that his father also dismisses his passion for stars. On his iPad, Waldo shows Ben their location in Avalon from the sky, denoted by two bright green spots.

Waldo’s father, Shenkman, is on his rowing machine, working out and remembering his past as a competitive rower, and finding an escape from his life. On the rowing machine app, he competes against a man named Lindgren, whom he rowed with in college. Shenkman is avoiding his wife Alice, who wants to talk about Waldo. He knows Waldo sneaks out at night to gaze at the stars, a hobby he’s hoping his son will grow out of. He loves Waldo but has a difficult time communicating this to him or relating to him. Shenkman catches Waldo sneaking back in. He yells at him, takes away his iPad, and grounds him. Alice goes to Waldo in his room to comfort him. Shenkman sees an email from Lindgren but doesn’t want to talk.

Sarah is on her way to be with her father, Ben, worried that Theo won’t show up. She doesn’t want to speak ill of her brother, which would violate the Jewish law of lashon hara. On the phone, she talks to her husband Peter, who couldn’t attend the last-minute trip. As Sarah’s driver pulls into the driveway of her childhood home, with its signature oak tree, she is haunted by the memory of the car accident. Another phone call comes in, from an affair partner whom Sarah stood up. She hangs up on him. Ben is pleasantly surprised by her midnight visit. Sarah notes the packed boxes around the house and feels guilty for not coming sooner to help him pack.

Sarah ignores several missed calls from her affair partner. She believes she is doomed to a divorce in which her daughters will side with Peter. She wants to confide in her father but knows it’s not the right time. Ben notices that Sarah seems off, but they go to bed, as a moving company is coming in the morning.

Theo works late nights as a chef at his popular New York City restaurant. He admires the sight of Harper Loomis, a regular whom he is attracted to. Suddenly, he receives a phone call from his sister Sarah, telling him that their mother has disappeared from her retirement home, Avalon Hills. Theo hurriedly arranges a trip to Avalon to help his family.

After hearing his parents argue over what’s “wrong” with him, Waldo decides to run away. He packs a backpack with some spare cash and retrieves his iPad from his father’s exercise room. Waldo sets off into the night, uncertain about his decision. He doesn’t know where to go; he doesn’t have any friends because the children at school find his fixation with stars odd. He walks to the mall through the cold of the winter night.

Ben’s wife Mimi wanders through the cold. She believes she is in Bermuda with her family, and is looking for her young children. She finds a young boy (Waldo) whom she embraces as Theo. The boy initially fights Mimi off but tries to take care of Mimi because she’s bleeding, cold, and promises not to hurt him. He comforts her by showing her the constellations on his iPad.

It’s New Year’s Eve in 1999. Shenkman has always hated New Year’s Eve celebrations, but his firm needs to focus on compliance because of the threat of Y2K. He thinks the people who believe in Y2K, who are hoarding goods in preparation for the end of the world, are foolish. He is more focused on his pregnant wife, Alice, and their future son (Waldo). Shenkman tries to suppress his father’s disdainful voice, worried that he himself won’t be a good father. Alice’s water breaks unexpectedly, and Shenkman is uncertain what to do. He seeks out his doctor neighbor, Ben Wilf. Ben prepares Alice for a home delivery. EMTs arrive to help just as the infant crowns. Alice gives birth on her kitchen floor.

In 1999, Sarah has been living in Los Angeles for three years, working as a film producer. She met Peter when he submitted a screenplay for her boss. Now married with twin daughters, they’re setting up a New Year’s Eve party for 12. While Sarah has succeeded in her career, Peter’s career as a screenwriter has yet to take off. She makes enough money to support her family’s lifestyle but worries about Peter’s ego as his writing continues to fail. She is surprised when her brother Theo shows up unexpectedly. He dropped out of college and has been living in their parents’ home, though he often disappears for months at a time. Theo has been suffering from poor mental health, and Sarah constantly wonders if it’s because they never talked about Misty after her death. Now, Theo is meeting Sarah’s daughters and husband for the first time.

When Theo returned to the United States after a foray in Buenos Aires, Argentina, he spent three days staring at Sarah’s house, alarmed by her new life and uncertain if he could be a part of it. He feels out of place at her New Year’s Eve party but grateful to be with his sister again. He misses Buenos Aires and his life learning to be a chef there, but Sarah asks him to stay with her for a while.

The next morning, Theo wakes up before everybody else and prepares a gourmet breakfast from leftovers. When he opens the doors for some air, the house alarm goes off, waking Sarah and Peter. Theo feels embarrassed for causing chaos. Distracted by the alarm and the security guards checking in, he forgets about his cooking and burns the food.

The new neighbor (Shenkman) whose wife (Alice) went into labor reminds Mimi of her son (Theo) because they are similar in age. Mimi quietly prays to the universe to return Theo to her. She is sad about a new millennium starting because the past millennium holds all her memories of her children, who are now adults and living far away from her. When Ben returns from the delivery, he is noticeably shaken. Though Waldo came out healthy, Alice or Waldo could have been jeopardized—which reminds Ben and Mimi of their children’s car accident.

Mimi prepares dinner. She and Ben aren’t spending New Year's Eve with anybody else; most of their friends and neighbors have moved on due to different life paths and problems. Their neighborhood is now filled with mostly new, young families whom they don't know. They receive a phone call from Theo, the first in many years. He tells Mimi that he’s with Sarah in Los Angeles, and Mimi is both shocked and overjoyed.

Waldo is a newborn baby with challenges and growth ahead of him. It will take him a long time to learn how to talk, and even as an adult, he will struggle to express himself. As an infant, all he knows is his mother’s warmth. Waldo doesn’t yet know his father’s disappointment or the feeling of constantly searching for his parents. He unknowingly inherits the Shenkman history of all his ancestors at the moment of his birth.