The pilot of the new HBO drama "Abandoned" was released at the end of June 2014. The series is based on the novel of the same name by Tom Perrotta, an Academy Award nominee for Best Adapted Screenplay. Among the creators of the series are the writers and directors of the cult "Lost" and "Ambulance".
On an autumn day, two percent of the world's population disappears without a trace. Scientists and representatives of official religions cannot explain the nature of what happened. Whole families have disappeared, every person on the planet has lost loved ones, friends or acquaintances.
Three years later, the world is still not reeling from the shock. The usual course of things has been disrupted, people have lost faith in the former strongholds of security, structure and power - politics, religion and science, there are mass suicides. Human society is gradually sinking into nihilism and anarchy. Various sects are gaining more and more influence, promising consolation and deliverance from sorrow.
A community of "Guilty" is growing in the city of Mapleton. They believe that the event that took place three years ago was the Ascension, which means that those who remained were not included in the number of the elect. According to the Holy Scriptures, they are unworthy, guilty. The members of the "Guilty" abandon natural human feelings and abandon their families. They wear white clothes, keep a vow of silence and constantly smoke, because, in their opinion, the smoke rising up symbolizes the ascension of the soul.
Unlike another local sect, led by a certain Wayne, who proclaimed himself a healer, and settled outside the city, the "Guilty" do not hide and do not shy away from social life. On the contrary, they actively come into contact with the inhabitants of Mapleton, identify and persecute those who are especially suffering after the disappearance of loved ones, persistently inviting them to join them. They also sabotage the efforts of the townspeople to return to normal life and come to terms with losses. Nobody fully understands what the "Guilty" are trying to achieve, what they are calling people to. Misunderstanding gives rise to fear, provocations - aggression, and the peaceful "Day of Heroes" turns into a bloody clash.
One of those who oppose the "Guilty" community is pastor of the city church, Matt Jamison. He denies that the disappearance of part of the planet's population was predicted by the Ascension, and seeks to convince the inhabitants of the city of this. But people have lost faith, and Jamison is alone trying to fight the general despair and a sense of hopelessness. His sister lost her entire family, husband and two children, his wife was paralyzed after a car accident on the day of disappearance, and the "Guilty", taking advantage of the financial difficulties of a priest who lost his flock, through third-party organizations buy out the church building.
Mapleton Sheriff, Kevin Garvey, on duty is obliged to control what is happening in the city and curb the spread of the influence of the "Guilty". The difficulty lies in the fact that his wife Laurie joined the ranks of the "Guilty". Garvey cannot understand her motives, because their family did not lose anyone on the day of the disappearance, and cannot come to terms with her decision. Their eldest son Tom also left home and became a follower of Wayne, daughter Jill, experiencing the loss of her mother, became bitter and estranged from her father. Her friend Aimee is the only one with whom the sheriff has some semblance of normal relations and mutual understanding.
The Left Behind is a story about everyone's common misfortune and personal drama, revealing themes of grief and faith, humility and resistance, compassion and cruelty.
