Milo O'Malley has just graduated from high school, but one night he's hit with the realization he's going nowhere in life. He's not going to college, his mother is an alcoholic and his boss is a constant tormentor. He decides to visit his old English teacher who says "Why not write a story?" Milo thinks it's a good, if old-fashioned, idea. Unfortunately, this teacher has plans of his own for his former student. Will Milo let these plans destroy him, or will he find the courage to rise above them?