When Noah Whitmore's 17-year-old cousin Lukas turned up on his doorstep one day, four years ago, it was a life-defining moment for both of them.

As a single, thirty-something teacher with a personal life that was akin to a vacuum, Noah now found that he had someone in his life that needed direction and a father figure that would provide it.

With neither of Lukas' parents interested in having custody of him, it fell to Noah to be there when it was soccer practice, auditioning for the school play or when the chance of adventure in far-flung Switzerland beckoned.

This bitter-sweet story of self-discovery, family and identity is told in My Life with Lukas (On Topanga Canyon Boulevard), through a series of 12 snapshots in time and is one that provides moments of reflective sadness, but also of an enduring hope that is always present when two kindred souls collide.