Character Relationship Map: Things Behind the Sun

Characters

• Sherry (played by Kim Dickens) — protagonist

  A Florida-based rock singer whose hit college radio song centers on her childhood gang-rape. She reconnects with childhood friend Owen, who later confesses his past complicity and acts to ensure justi...

• Owen (played by Gabriel Mann) — protagonist

  A Los Angeles music magazine reporter who returns to his hometown to interview Sherry. He grapples with deep guilt over his childhood complicity in her rape and seeks redemption by exposing her brothe...

• Dan (played by Eric Stoltz) — minor

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• Owen → Dan (Family Brothers And Co-conspirators) — Their brotherhood is bound to Dan's crimes and Owen's past complicity; Owen ultimately acts against Dan by reporting him and identifying witnesses willing to testify.

  The plot identifies Dan as Owen's brother and the ringleader of the gang-rapes. Owen recalls his complicity and later tells Dan that he has reported t...

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Dan → Sherry (Conflict Rapist And Survivor) — Dan's rape of Sherry is the defining harm behind her song and the central crime Owen seeks to expose.

  Dan is identified as the ringleader of the gang-rapes, and Sherry's song is about being raped as a girl. Owen later tells Dan that he has reported the...

• Owen → Sherry (Social Childhood Friend Turned Complicit Abuser) — Their childhood bond is irreparably burdened by Owen's participation in Sherry's rape; years later, he confesses his role and sends evidence to authorities and his editor.

  Owen and Sherry were close friends in childhood. On the day Sherry came to his house with a mixtape, Owen was forced to participate in her gang-rape a...

Story Analysis

A reporter returns home and confronts his complicity in the assault of his childhood friend, ultimately reporting his brother and helping bring consequences for the crimes.

Plot Progression

1. A Return With Two Purposes — Owen returns to his Florida hometown to interview Sherry, now a rising local rock singer. Their childhood friendship makes the assignment personal, while the story's account of Sherry's hit song intro...
2. The Past Behind the Wall — Flashbacks establish Dan as the ringleader of assaults on girls and show Owen's past complicity. Owen recalls blocking out sounds from Dan's adjacent room with music.
3. Sherry's Assault Revealed — The story reveals that Sherry came to Owen's house with a mixtape on the day she was raped. Owen describes trying to ignore events before being dragged from his room and forced to participate.
4. Confession and Consequences — Owen tells Dan that he reported the assault, including his own role, to Dan's parole officer and his editor. He says some of the twelve girls are willing to testify, then answers Dan's challenge by sa...