Inspired by the article "Can You Say... Hero?" by Tom Junod, "A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood" is a timely story of kindness triumphing over cynicism, based on the true story of a real-life friendship between Fred Rogers (Tom Hanks) and journalist Tom Junod (Matthew Rhys). After a jaded magazine writer is assigned a profile of Fred Rogers, he overcomes his skepticism, learning about empathy, kindness, and decency from America's most beloved neighbor.