"Orphans by default": this is what Kevin, Charlie, and Adair Blaise have termed themselves as. Their self-proclaimed title comes from the fact that ever since their father died in Afghanistan five years ago, their mother hasn't exactly found it necessary to be involved in her kids lives, or even present for them at all, as she demonstrates by skipping town for weeks at a time. Everyone in their small town knows of the former tragedy of losing their father but only Kevin's funny and trustworthy friend know anything of the latter. It sounds like an unfortunate situation and it is, paying bills and inventing lies about their mom's whereabouts. But the Blaise siblings are of a breed that battles through with wit, a sense of duty for driving each other crazy, and an ability to banter circles around the worst of teachers. Things aren't too terrible until Charlie and Kevin realize that they both have secrets: Kevin has been placed on academic probation, putting an important baseball scholarship (and their way to a new life) in jeopardy, and Charlie has been skipping class and won't give anyone a straight reason as to why. When the brothers end up in a simple detention overseen by a teacher with a grudge, things begin to go downhill. But it isn't until one prank goes terribly wrong that they find themselves somewhere they never meant to be.