On its surface, life in Houston in the 1950s is as you'd expect: stoic fathers, restless teens, drive-in movies, and souped-up Cadillacs. But underneath lies a world shifting under high school junior Aaron Broussard's feet. There's a class war between the 'haves' and the 'have-nots' as well as a real war, Korea, happening on the other side of the world. It is against this backdrop that Aaron comes of age, trying to understand how first loves, friendship, violence, and power can alter what "traditional America" means for the people trying to find their way in a changing world.

Intervening when he sees a beautiful, gifted girl fighting with her boyfriend, a young man inadvertently challenges the power of the Mob in his Korean War-era Texas community and must summon the courage of his soldier father in order to stand up for his beliefs.