In his sixteenth or seventeenth year of life, Mitchell Goosen is a Californian teenager who enjoys surfing and rollerblading. In spite of this, his parents, who are both zoologists, have been awarded a grant to work in Australia for the next year. One snag, though, was that Mitchell was unable to accompany them. Because of this, he is transported to Cincinnati, Ohio to live with his aunt, uncle and cousins. On his arrival, he meets Wiley, his cousin and new roommate for the next six months, who introduces him to the rest of the group. As a result, Mitchell is bullied by the high school hockey players and is expelled from his school. Mitchell and Wiley are subjected to weeks of torment at the hands of the other males in the group. When it comes time to compete against their Central High School adversaries down Devil's Backbone, the big boys, Mitchell, and Wiley must learn to work together.