For as long as he can remember, Cody has lived by the three rules his father insists they all adhere to. When Cody comes home early one day he finds his mother packing for what she says is a weekend away. Rule number one - never lie - is shattered when she doesn't return. A weekend alone with his father drives Cody to breaking point, and when he urges his father to follow rule number two - waste not, want not - he knows he has crossed a line that his father will never allow him to make amends for. Determined to stick to rule number three - don't be a loser all of your life - Cody leaves home. A summer of living rough allows Cody to see that the three rules are much easier to follow when looking at them from this new perspective, but has this insight come too late for Cody?