High school student Madison (Kalie Nattinger) lives in an abandoned trailer with her special needs brother, Teddy (Preston Peters). She's had enough of the personalities in her North Carolina high school and wants them to start a new life in Portland. The day they plan on leaving, their belongings are stolen she's left without their money or bus tickets. As she and Teddy drift apart, Madison spends more time with her wounded veteran wood shop teacher Wes (Christopher Webb), whom she admires for having traveled all around the world. The longer Madison stays in town, the closer school counselor Ms. Pierce (Ann Mahoney) gets to discovering that they've been orphaned. And the closer Madison becomes to being put in a foster home. For her, it's a fate worse than death.