Suzanne Stone (Nicole Kidman) is a small town girl with a dream — to become a famous TV personality – a dream that becomes a nightmare when ambition turns into obsession. Disillusioned with her marriage to Larry (Matt Dillon), she immerses herself in the pursuit of her career and manages to talk her way into a job at the local TV station.

She decides to produce a documentary about kids and enlists the help of three teenagers who seem to have little hope for the future: Jimmy (Joaquin Phoenix), Russell (Casey Affleck), and Lydia (Alison Folland). Together, they form a powerful and dangerous bond which threatens to blow the lid off of their seemingly idyllic suburban life forever.