Jake`s father, consumed with guilt over the accidental death of his wife, turns into an eccentric loser, and, after getting in various kinds of trouble in small-town New Hope, Pennsylvania, Jake runs away from home. In New York City, he becomes a hero when he intervenes during a subway crime. Now he`s back home, age 16, to find that his father hasn`t improved and his own reputation seems impossible to overcome. A young writer, however, comes to town to write about him, and his feelings for her provide a glimmer of hope.