Melanie Daniel lives in a run down shack with her six-year old son Tyler in the rural community of Jasper Arkansas where she has lived all her life. Being illiterate Melanie in order to survive depends on the money coming into the household from her husband Carl who is away in the military in California who she hasn't seen in two years and who she believes only married her because he got her pregnant. Believing that Tyler's life with Melanie is a dead end and that he potentially could end up illiterate like her Carl on his latest visit home absconds with Tyler back to California. Melanie's motherly instinct kicks in and despite never having left Jasper and being ill-equipped to do so because of her illiteracy which she tries to hide from everyone she takes a cross-country bus trip to get Tyler back. She arrives unannounced at the doorstep of her childhood friend Ronda. Ronda shares a house in the Hollywood hills with a musician named Rick who is facing his own issues concerning dealing with his stalled career. Ronda Rick and Rick's health conscious lawyer friend Walter all try to help Melanie and believe the best way for her to get Tyler back and rid herself of her dependency on Carl is to take control of her own life starting by learning how to read and write. In the process of Melanie trying to regain her and Tyler's collective lives she may find some romantic happiness which has so far eluded her in her life with Carl. But Carl will not give Tyler up without a fight even if it means killing Melanie.