Parsons Pond, a pocket park in a suburb west of Chicago, is an idyllic, tree-shaded neighborhood of disparate souls proud of having created a friendly and sociable community. Among them, two men who retired to the pond from their careers in the city, searching for less stressful lives after decades of corporate servitude, who develop a close friendship. One is a decorated Vietnam veteran, and the other adopts maintenance of the pond as a daily regimen. Common experiences of failed relationships distance them from family and old friends, but they each sense a feeling of belonging on the pond.

Among their neighbors – a civil engineer; a creative writing teacher; a contractor; a corporate counsel; a MAGA curmudgeon; a real estate agent; a network engineer; an art restorer – they find acceptance and friendship. One of the men spends his time reading on his front porch, reveling in the view of the pond and its twin fountains, greeting passersby as they walk their dogs, stroll along the sidewalk, or jog and cycle.

One day, the serenity is splintered by the theft of a yard sign proclaiming BLACK LIVES MATTER. The act sparks an escalation of vandalism and defacement of property that unites the neighbors in resistance to the coarsening of the nation’s political discourse. Some cannot believe the cares, concerns, and ideas influencing life in America have sullied their community, but as a group they cannot agree on how best to deter the vandals and those who inspire their actions. The woman whose sign was stolen, (which she quickly replaced), argues for peaceful activism: attending village council meetings to condemn the actions of a radical few, but others argue for a more in-kind response: the proverbial taking a gun to a knife fight. The resulting schism threatens the cohesive tranquility of the community, convincing one of the retirees that only he is uniquely positioned to solve the problem of what he sees as the inevitable political and religiously inspired violence to come. He struggles with the decision, which thrusts him out of his comfort zone.

Parsons Pond is a thoughtful snapshot of neighbors striving to become a community, a poignant slice of life in current America.