The film begins by showing baby James in his crib, playing with his toys and his mother – an atmosphere of innocence and contentment is projected, along with happiness. The scene will therefore, focus on how a baby’s play is carefree, without any worries or apprehension, naiveté embodied.

The underlying theme of this scene is Innocence.

First scene: Infant          stage.

Characters: Baby James, James’ mother.

Location: Baby’s room.

Props: Baby toys, crib.

The next sequence takes us into the perspective of toddler James, whose understanding of play has become more complex, and therefore incorporates more intricate toys like tricycles, swings and see-saws. The toddler has also lost the naiveté of a baby, causing a tiny hint of cautiousness to enter their perception of play, which is augmented by James’ parents, as they are worried about him being hurt while playing. Ultimately, a feeling of growth, wonderment and progress will pervade this scene – it is all about him finding his way in the world, as he moves into the preteen stage.

The main theme here is Growth.

Second scene: Toddler stage.

Characters:  James as a toddler, James’ parents.

Location: Playground.

Props: Children’s toys.

The third scene shows us how play is perceived by preteens; by now, cautiousness has developed into a budding desire to not lose. This scene will show the viewer how James and Kevin play with each other, and their game of tag eventually ends up in both not wishing to lose, as one accuses the other of cheating, which leads to a minor squabble. The atmosphere will be slightly tense – their squabble is not a full-blown fight, but it’s a hint of things to come as they grow up.

The theme here is Realization.

Third scene: Preteen stage.

Characters: James, a friend named Kevin.

Location: One of their houses/school.

Props: Undecided.

The fourth scene details how James approaches play in his teenage years, and the nature of this scene may be slightly more cynical – instead of having fun, good play is now defined by victory. It is no longer enough to just have an enjoyable game; for the teenager, a bigger imperative is to win. Therefore, this scene will show James playing video games in his room, and his desire for victory. A darker, brooding atmosphere should be prevalent, one that is markedly graduated from the previous scene.

The main theme is Cynicism.

Fourth scene: Teenager stage.

Characters: The teenage James.

Location: His/her room.

Props: Computer.

This scene shows how James has now begun taking his competitiveness to a new level; instead of hiding his aggressiveness behind an online persona, he now shows it in real life – going out to a nightclub, he spots a girl and attempts to court her, only to find that another guy has his eyes set on her as well, causing the two to attempt outdoing the other throughout the entire night.

The theme for this scene is Competitiveness.

Fifth scene: Young adult stage. 

Characters: A slightly older James, a random woman and guy.

Location: Probably a nightclub.

Props: Glasses.

We then come to the adult stage, and the situation hasn’t really gotten any better when compared to the last scene – now, almost nothing of the child remains in James. No longer does he play for fun; he plays to win, even more so than as a teenager, namely by taking bigger risks, as everything is now a rat race, a competition to see who finishes on top of the pile. This scene will show the risk-taking of the adult and a ‘win at all costs’ mentality by having James take risks on the stock market and somehow managing to come out the victor. Play is no longer done just for the sake of it in this scene – play is engaged in, in order to come out with profits. This scene incorporates a fast, rapid tempo, suggestive of the adult rat race. 

The main theme is Competitiveness.

Sixth scene: Adult stage.

Characters: Adult James, unnamed stock broker.

Location: Somewhere outdoors.

Props: Cellphone.

The final stage has everything come to a full circle. Having retired (and thus left the cut-throat mentality of the rat race), the elderly James has begun to return to the carefree attitude that characterized his approach towards play as a baby; he will never truly regain all of that naiveté, but no longer will he perceive play as merely something to dominate and win at. This scene will thus show the elderly person playing chess (or any board game) with the young May, highlighting the contrast in mentalities. In the end, he will win through experience, which sets the stage for the final scene. 

Seventh scene: Elderly person.

Characters: A young child/teenager named May and the elderly James.

Location: A park.

Props: Chess board and pieces.

After the game, the elderly James speaks to May, attempting to impart the wisdom he has gathered throughout his life, that the journey is oftentimes more important than the destination. A placid and calm atmosphere will be utilized here, with the feelings of innocence and peace from the first stage reappearing.

As this scene and the last are two parts of a whole, the main theme for both is Acceptance.

Eighth scene: Elderly person, part II.

Characters: A young child/teenager named May and the elderly James.

Location: A park.

Props: Chess board and pieces.