In Memoriam of a Childhood

When Nigel moves into a new house in Memphis, Tennessee, he immediately scouts out his neighborhood for haunted houses. Nigel is incredibly disappointed. Despite what the neighborhood bullies have told him, it doesn't look like there's a ghost to be found.

Disappointment turns to panic when the bullies lock him in the closet of an abandoned house. Nigel may not be scared of ghosts, but he is scared of cockroaches. When Woody, an older boy in the neighborhood, finally saves him from a swarm of them, the two form a strange bond.

Woody is very different from the sheltered and naive Nigel, but the two become fast friends. As Jacques and Nigel while away the time pulling pranks around the neighborhood, Nigel witnesses something that frightens him even more than cockroaches. Something bad is going on at Woody's house, and his friend isn't the only one subjected to shocking violence. Nigel begins doubting his faith in any kind of higher power. How could God allow such suffering? Wouldn't it be better if someone a little more merciful were in charge?

As Nigel contemplates these thoughts, another horrific event will force the entire community to face grim reality.