Grieving the loss of his father, an aspiring violinist finds an old memoir in his new apartment. As he investigates the professor who wrote it, unsettling parallels force him to confront his identity and the choices defining his life.

Growing thorns requires several steps: sowing, rain, patience and harvesting. The Hat Man is the fruit of his picking under the soles of passers-by. One day, a storm breaks and wreaks havoc on his carefully orchestrated creation. Ouch!