Gruncle

Overview

Basti is an 11-year-old boy who has been in the foster care system for a couple of years following the death of first his grandmother, then his beloved mother. Constantly having trouble with a system that he feels is too precarious and impermanent for him, he is granted a new lease on family when his new social worker (Claire) discovers a great-uncle he never knew he had: Oakley. Oakley (affectionately called: Grunc by Basti) had been estranged from his his sister (Basti's grandmother, and his mom for 10 years so never knew about their deaths or Basti's plight, so he flies back from Africa (he's not so retired photographer) to take custodial care of Basti. Although Basti immediately bonds with his new found Gruncle and feels a familial connection, Oakley is tirelessly searching for a set of adoptive parents for Basti. Basti interprets this as Oakley not wanting him around, but Oakley has his reasons for wanting the boy in a more stable, permanent environment.