In the wake of a collapsed marriage and his father's death, David Lamb hopes to regain his own sense of goodness by focusing his attention on Tommie, an awkward and unpopular 11-year-old girl. Convinced he can help her avoid a destiny of apathy and emptiness, David takes her on a road trip from Chicago to the Rockies to initiate her into the beauty of the mountain wilderness. The journey shakes them in ways neither expects.