In 1957, a son and mother flee the East and also an abusive boyfriend to locate a brand new living, and end up in Seattle, at which the mother meets a garage mechanic. The boy continually gets in to trouble by going out with the incorrect crowd. Mother marries the mechanic, but they soon discover that he's an violent and unreasoning alcoholic, and so they fight to maintain hope as the boy grows up with plans to flee the small town by any way possible. Based on a story by Tobias Wolff.