Jack is shy, small for his age and he lives in nowhere, Ohio with his recently divorced blue-collar father, Randy.  As a freshman riding the daily bus into a nearby town for high school, Jack's only ally is his best friend. Tommy is loud, obnoxious, and has the, attitude, invincibility and machismo Jack outwardly lacks.

Jack just wants to find the courage to meet and ask the new girl out, but life and being an awkward teenager keep getting in the way.  The new girl Heather, is from the big city school with big city problems, and also trying to navigate a new school in a small town.  

While avoiding relentless bullies, Tommy's abusive step dad, and school responsibility in a nearby forest, Jack and Tommy find an abandoned tree house, which becomes their new escape.  The tree house is a place all kids want, and when they have it, they hang out there as much as possible, fortifying themselves from the outside world. 

When Tommy's is forced to run away, and Jack's father shows signs of an illness he can't afford to have properly diagnosed, Jack becomes the caretaker of his friends and family.  Riding the line between the blissful innocence of boyhood and the impending pressures of the adult world,  Jack tries to find a way to bring his best friend daily rations, help his dad deal with a recent divorce and a new mysterious illness, and meet the girl he has a huge crush on.