1984. On the Rural East Coast of New Zealand, "Thriller" is changing kid's lives. Boy is the hilarious and heartfelt coming-of-age tale about heroes, magic and Michael Jackson. Boy is a dreamer who loves Michael Jackson. He lives with his brother Rocky, a tribe of deserted cousins and his Nan. Boy's other hero, his father, Alamein, is the subject of Boy's fantasies, and he imagines him as a deep sea diver, war hero and a close relation of Michael Jackson (he can even dance like him). In reality he's "in the can for robbery". When Alamein returns after 7 years away, Boy is forced to confront the man he thought he remembered, finding his own potential and learn to get along without the hero he had been hoping for.