Under a full moon and the branches of a lemon tree, two boys meet: Ty (Joseph Althouse) from the river mob and Neddy (Danny Howard) from the mountain mob. They’ve been sent by their respective communities to exchange information about the recently arrived whitefellas and they flex with the bravado of boys on the cusp of manhood, cos-playing adults. They’ve invented elaborate code names and protocols for conducting this Serious Business but quickly devolve into being boys: competitive, curious, playful. Excessively interested in poo and dicks and cussing, and feats of bravery.
Neddy and Ty are interested in each other, too: each seems to be everything the other is not. Ty is sensitive, sharp, poetic; he’s been chosen by his mob as a knowledge holder and his job is to listen and learn. Neddy is boisterous and athletic with great arms; he’ll be a hunter and maybe a warrior. Slipping easily into these characters and dressed in contemporary clothing, Althouse and Howard feel instantly familiar; we’ve all known or been a Neddy or a Ty.
