Wade Rule decides to escape his dominating mother by taking it upon himself to go to Vermont to care for his wheelchair-bound uncle who, Wade's father tells him, has recently lost his girlfriend to a "man whose legs work." Wade reveals his dream to a fellow high school student, Maria, who tells him, "I'd run off to Vermont before I'd live with my father." Wade then knows he'll have to hurry because Maria is planning to have herself declared a ward of the state within a week. She has given Wade the confidence to get them both to a better home; however, Wade's confidence is misplaced, and when he shows up at school with a shotgun to fetch Maria, things quickly go horribly wrong.