What Is Synchronic About?
The premise of Synchronic in 291 words, with nothing given away. The full story and the ending follow below.
In the humid pulse of New Orleans, a city where the line between celebration and danger blurs with every street‑car passing, two lifelong friends patrol its alleys and emergency rooms. Steve, a womanizing paramedic with a reputation for bending the rules, works side‑by‑side with his devoted partner Dennis, whose steady presence keeps them grounded amid the chaos of a city that never sleeps. Their bond is forged as much by shared jokes and rivalry as by the relentless pressure of a job that thrusts them into the heart of strangers’ crises at a moment’s notice.
When a series of bizarre incidents begin to surface, each linked by whispers of a new designer drug called Synchronic, the duo finds themselves drawn into a mystery that feels both clinical and otherworldly. The drug’s reputation for producing inexplicable effects spreads through the city’s underbelly, hinting at something far beyond a simple substance—a hint of altered perception that unsettles the already fragile balance of their lives. The atmosphere grows increasingly surreal, as the neon glow of the French Quarter collides with an unsettling, almost scientific dread.
Against this backdrop, personal stakes rise. Steve discovers an unsettling health scare that forces him to confront his own mortality, while Dennis wrestles with the strain on his family and the fear that his world is slipping out of control. Their professional dedication becomes a personal quest, each man questioning how far they will go to protect those they love and to uncover the truth behind the drug’s strange influence. The film’s tone blends gritty urban realism with a creeping, speculative unease, inviting the audience to wonder what lies beneath the city’s vibrant surface and how far the bonds of friendship will stretch when time itself seems to warp.
What Happens in Synchronic?
The complete story of Synchronic, from the first scene to the last, in 476 words (about 2 minutes). Spoilers throughout. Names in the text link to 2 cast member pages.
Spoilers ahead
In Synchronic, Steve, a womanizing New Orleans paramedic, teams up with his devoted partner, Dennis, to tackle a pall of deaths linked to a mysterious designer drug called Synchronic. When Steve is accidentally pricked by a contaminated needle during a call, doctors uncover not only a possible infection but also an aggressive cancer lodged in his underdeveloped pineal gland, a diagnosis that frames the race against time from the very start.
Driven to uncover the truth about Synchronic, Steve traces the drug to its creator and learns a startling secret: the substance warps the pineal gland’s perception of time, hurling users backward through history. The effects are stark and surreal—children experience full time travel, while adults drift through the past as ghost-like echoes. This is not merely a mind game; it reshapes lives as it pulls people toward eras they cannot fully belong to.
Meanwhile, Dennis’s teenage daughter, Brianna, disappears, placing immense strain on his marriage and testing the trust between the men. Dennis misreads Steve’s illness and the painkiller use as addiction, and their frictions explode into a physical confrontation that underscores how fear and suspicion can fracture even close partnerships.
Fueled by his diagnosis and the urgent need to find Brianna, Steve experiments with Synchronic, venturing through Louisiana’s layered past. He brushes against history in dramatic vignettes—confrontations with a conquistador and, later, the Ku Klux Klan—while his loyal dog Hawking stays by his side until the 1920s, when the animal is lost to the time drift. Steve also discovers a crucial rule: the location where the pill is taken dictates the destination year.
As the time-travel mystery deepens, Steve realizes that physical contact with objects can act as an anchor, locking a traveler to a specific moment. He returns to the park where Brianna disappeared, briefly meeting prehistoric tribesmen, and learns that Brianna may have wandered off before she ever took Synchronic.
Reconciliation comes with honesty: Steve reveals his cancer and shares the time-travel footage with Dennis. They examine the footage, then journey to the cemetery where Steve’s family lies, before heading back to the park to resume the search.
Amid the chaos of the Battle of New Orleans, Steve finally locates a frightened Brianna. A threatening looter mistakes Steve for a runaway slave, and Steve sacrifice himself as a distraction so Brianna can use his last pill to return to the present. Fatally wounded and with the looter killed by a landmine, Steve carves the word “ALLWAYS” into a boulder, a symbolic tattoo of his origin in the modern era.
Dennis embraces Brianna as Steve’s spectral presence lingers, and the two men acknowledge each other in a final, quiet moment. The film closes on a close-up of their hands clasped together, signaling a fragile reconciliation between past and present and leaving a poignant note on memory, loss, and the enduring bonds of family.
Synchronic Timeline: Every Key Event in Order
15 key events in the order they happen, from “Needle exposure and cancer diagnosis” to “Final moment: hands clasp in the present”. 15 events name a place, across 13 locations.
- 1
Needle exposure and cancer diagnosis
During a routine paramedic call in New Orleans, Steve is pricked by a contaminated needle. Subsequent tests reveal not only a potential infection but an aggressive cancer in his underdeveloped pineal gland. The diagnosis sets a clock ticking on how far he can push to uncover the truth about Synchronic.
When:present day Where:New Orleans, Louisiana
- 2
Steve hunts the Synchronic creator
Driven by the diagnosis, Steve tracks down the designer of Synchronic to learn who’s behind the drug and what it does. His search uncovers a project shrouded in secrecy and a trail of deaths tied to the substance. The pursuit marks the start of his obsession with the timeline-bending effects.
Where:New Orleans, Louisiana
- 3
Time-perception warps
Steve learns that Synchronic alters the pineal gland’s perception of time. Users are sent backward through history, with children experiencing full travel while adults appear as ghost-like figures in the past. The mechanism explains the strangest clues surrounding the drug’s victims.
Where:Laboratory and field observations in Louisiana
- 4
Brianna vanishes; Dennis shaken
Dennis’s teenage daughter Brianna disappears, triggering a frantic search. The stress brings down his marriage as he blames Steve for neglect and what he sees as an addiction, straining their long friendship. The case sets a personal stake backdrop for Steve’s investigations.
Where:New Orleans, Louisiana
- 5
Steve tests Synchronic
Steve experiments with Synchronic to chase answers, stepping briefly into Louisiana’s past. He encounters remnants of colonial and post-Civil War eras, including a conquistador and, later, Ku Klux Klan figures. Each jump reveals how time travel reshapes the present’s understanding of history.
Where:Louisiana and its past eras
- 6
Hawking locates the destination year
Steve uses his dog Hawking as a guide while mapping where and when the next pill will take him. The detective work shows that the act of taking Synchronic determines the destination year. Hawking’s presence anchors him to the journey, even as danger follows.
Where:Present-day Louisiana
- 7
Hawking vanishes into the 1920s
Tragically, Hawking is pulled into the 1920s during one of Steve’s trips and cannot accompany him back. The loss of his loyal companion complicates Steve’s efforts to chart a safe return. The dog’s absence heightens the stakes of every subsequent jump.
When:1920s Where:1920s Louisiana (time travel destination)
- 8
Objects anchor time
Steve deduces that physical contact with objects can anchor someone to a specific time. He tests this concept by attempting to ground his presence through tangible anchors in the park. The discovery reframes how he plans to navigate Brianna’s disappearance.
Where:Park where Brianna disappeared (present day)
- 9
Prehistoric encounter
Returning to a time when humanity is still in its infancy, Steve encounters prehistoric tribesmen during a jump near the park. The encounter demonstrates how the past is vivid and dangerous for anyone who uses Synchronic. Brianna’s fate now feels entangled with the fabric of time.
When:Prehistory Where:Prehistoric Louisiana (time travel destination)
- 10
Brianna's status remains uncertain
Steve’s return to the present leaves him with the unsettling possibility that Brianna might have wandered off before she ever took Synchronic. He continues to search the park and surrounding areas, hoping for a concrete lead. The ambiguity fuels both the mission and his urgency.
Where:Park, present day
Show the other 5 events of Synchronic Hide the last 5 events
- 11
Reconciliation and reveal
Steve opens up to Dennis about his cancer diagnosis, and the two men reconcile. They review time-travel footage together and acknowledge the danger Synchronic poses. They decide to search with renewed resolve, linking past, present, and Brianna’s fate.
Where:Cemetery visit and park (present day)
- 12
Cemetery and park journey
From the cemetery where Steve’s family rests, they move toward the park to resume the search. The sequence blends memory and time-travel mechanics as they prepare for a final confrontation with the past. The goal remains Brianna and a return to the present.
Where:Cemetery to park, present day
- 13
Battle of New Orleans and Brianna
Within the chaos of the Battle of New Orleans, Steve locates a terrified Brianna among the fighting and confusion. The war’s fury intensifies the stakes as time travel becomes a race against a violent, time-warping device. Brianna’s safety hinges on Steve’s quick choices.
When:1815 Where:New Orleans, 1815
- 14
Steve sacrifices to return Brianna
A looter threatens them, mistakenly seeing Steve as a runaway slave. Steve sacrifices himself so Brianna can use his last Synchronic pill to return to the present. He is fatally injured, and a landmine ends the looter’s life as Steve carves ALLWAYS into a boulder.
When:1815 Where:Battle of New Orleans, 1815
- 15
Final moment: hands clasp in the present
Dennis comforts Brianna as Steve’s spectral presence lingers nearby. The two men acknowledge each other across time, and the film ends with a close-up of Brianna and Dennis’s hands clasped together in the present. Steve’s memory, symbolized by the carved boulder, remains with them.
When:present Where:Present day
Who Are the Main Characters in Synchronic?
6 characters, among them Steve (Anthony Mackie), Dennis (Jamie Dornan) and Brianna (Ally Ioannides): who each one is and the part they play in the story. 5 of them link to the actor’s page.
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Steve (Anthony Mackie)
Played by Anthony Mackie
A charismatic but flawed New Orleans paramedic whose hard-partying persona masks a growing medical crisis. After a contaminated needle reveals aggressive cancer in his pineal gland, he pursues the drug Synchronic and its creator to uncover the truth behind the time-jump effects. His bold curiosity, stubbornness, and deep loyalty to Brianna drive him forward even as his health deteriorates. His willingness to sacrifice for others culminates in a selfless act during the Battle of New Orleans.
- 💪 Determined
- 🧭 Investigative
- ❤️ Family-focused
-
Dennis (Jamie Dornan)
Played by Jamie Dornan
Steve’s devoted partner whose own life is unsettled by a collapsing marriage and a tense, protective stance toward Brianna. He misreads Steve’s illness and behavior as addiction, leading to conflict and a physical confrontation between the two men. His relationship with Brianna motivates him to seek truth and safety for his family. By the end, he reconciles with Steve and supports Brianna’s return to the present.
- 🧭 Loyal
- ⚖️ Protective
- 🧡 Family-first
- B(
Brianna (Ally Ioannides)
Played by Ally Ioannides
Dennis’s teenage daughter who vanishes, becoming the emotional catalyst for the journey. Her disappearance drives Steve to push the limits of Synchronic and chase answers through time. While her fate remains unsettled, her presence anchors the stakes for both men and the mission to bring her back safely. Her absence also propels a reevaluation of what family means.
- 🧒 Curious
- 🔎 Persistent
- 🧪 Time-aware
- H
Hawking
Steve’s dog who accompanies him through some time-traveling episodes and serves as a tether to the present. In the chaos of travel, Hawking is lost in the 1920s and cannot return with Steve, underscoring the personal costs of tampering with time.
- 🐶 Loyal
- 🧭 Time-tether
- C(
Conquistador (Walker Babington)
Played by Walker Babington
A historical figure encountered during Steve’s travels, symbolizing the literal immersion of modern travelers in past eras. The meeting with a conquistador underscores the film’s exploration of history as a tangible, dangerous space. This figure acts as a window into how the past interrupts the present.
- ⚔️ History meets present
- 🗺️ Time-crossing
- HL
Hunchback Looter (Bill Oberst Jr.)
Played by Bill Oberst Jr.
A menacing looter from the era of chaos in the Battle of New Orleans who threatens Steve and Brianna. He embodies the hazards that appear when time travelers awaken violent impulses in the past. His confrontation with Steve culminates in a fatal moment that impacts the fate of the mission.
- 🗡️ Threatening
- 🧭 Time-crossing danger
Where and When Is Synchronic Set?
Synchronic is set in New Orleans, Louisiana and USA (21st century). Here is why the time and place matter to the story.
When
21st century
The film unfolds in contemporary New Orleans with a time-travel twist. The device Synchronic lets its users jump to different eras by anchoring to objects and durations. Steve’s journey transports him to moments in Louisiana’s past—from colonial-era encounters to the Battle of New Orleans—while the present thread follows his battle with illness and a quest to find Brianna. The narrative juxtaposes modern life with radically different historical moments.
Where
New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
New Orleans serves as the film's atmospheric ground; a dense, music-filled port city known for its cultural tapestry, cemeteries, and vibrant street life. The story weaves through its streets, riverfront, and park, using the city’s past and present to anchor time-travel moments. It’s a place of paradoxes where revelry and danger mingle, making it an apt stage for a sci-fi thriller that hinges on memory and history.
- 🗺️ Urban landscape
- 🎷 Jazz heritage
- 🏛️ Historic city
What Are the Themes of Synchronic?
3 ideas the story keeps returning to, among them Time Travel, Addiction and Family Bonds.
-
01
Time Travel
Synchronic props open windows to the past, forcing characters to confront unintended consequences of changing history. Time becomes a personal experience, bending memories and reality as Steve chases answers about Brianna. The film treats time travel as both possibility and burden, showing how every jump alters relationships and fate. Ultimately, time is the canvas on which sacrifice and memory play out.
-
02
Addiction
Steve’s cancer diagnosis and painkiller use ground the story in the human cost behind extraordinary abilities. The drug Synchronic is depicted as a dangerous, alluring force that promises control but exacts a price in health and ethics. The theme explores how addiction and the lure of easy fixes threaten personal judgment and relationships. Against this backdrop, characters must decide what they’re willing to sacrifice for truth and survival.
-
03
Family Bonds
The film centers on the fragile ties between Steve, Dennis, and Brianna, highlighting how familial love persists under strain. Dennis’s jealousy and later reconciliation with Steve show how fear and misjudgment can fracture trust, while Brianna’s disappearance becomes a test of parental devotion. Steve’s ultimate act of self-sacrifice reframes family as a source of strength rather than a constraint. The ending emphasizes connection and shared memory over individual triumph.
How Does Synchronic End?
The last act of Synchronic and what it means, in 294 words. The ending lands as bittersweet. Big spoilers: read the plot summary first if you have not seen it.
The final act, in full
In the ending of Synchronic, Steve makes a desperate attempt to save his friend’s daughter, Brianna, who is trapped in the past due to the effects of the time-travel drug. Using the last two pills he has—one for himself and one for Brianna—he travels back to the Civil War era, where he finds her among the chaos of the battlefield. Knowing they only have seven minutes, Steve gives Brianna the pill and swallows his own, urging her to stay at the spot on the boulder until their time limit runs out. The plan is for Brianna to return to the present with him, but as she reaches the designated spot, she sits down to wait. Meanwhile, Steve is distracted when a white man with a gun approaches. In the chaos, the man unknowingly triggers a mine and is blown up, causing Steve to look away. By the time he turns back, Brianna has already vanished back to the present. Steve reaches the boulder too late, and his time runs out, leaving him stranded in the past.
In a poignant final moment, a shadowy figure of Steve appears at the present, where Dennis and Brianna stand. They realize that although Steve’s physical body is gone, his consciousness or spirit somehow remains linked through the time-travel event. Their emotional farewell emphasizes the sacrifice Steve made—using his last moments to save Brianna at the cost of his own life. The film leaves viewers with a bittersweet ending: Steve’s physical presence is lost forever, but his selflessness allows Brianna to return safely, encapsulating themes of friendship, sacrifice, and love crossing the boundaries of time. The ending invites reflection on how human connections can transcend even the most impossible circumstances, and how acts of sacrifice can define true heroism.
What Kind of Film Is Synchronic?
Tense in tone, with fast pacing and a complex story, going by the plot summary.
- Tone
- Tense
- Pacing
- Fast
- Story
- Complex
- Intensity
- High
- Ending
- Bittersweet
A tense and emotionally heavy sci-fi thriller that follows two paramedics unraveling a dangerous mystery with high-stakes personal consequences, creating a desperate and somber atmosphere.
- tense
- suspenseful
- melancholic
- desperate
- somber
- urgent
- time travel
- friendship
- terminal illness
- drug epidemic
Content notes: drug use, terminal illness, violence, threats from hate groups.
Quiz
How well do you remember Synchronic? Test yourself on the story.
