After her mother, Karen (Melissa Leo) gets married for the third time, 17-year-old Greta (Hillary Duff), who had witnessed her father kill himself, withdraws within herself, and turns rebellious. In lieu of boot camp she is sent to live with her maternal grandparents, Katherine (Ellen Burstyn) and Joseph (Michael Murphy) where she makes it known that she is determined to kill herself. She then falls for a cook, Julie (Evan Ross) at the local restaurant, much to the chagrin of her grandparents - especially when they find out he had been interned in a juvenile correctional facility. Faced with all-round opposition and unhappy with her life Greta plans her suicide during a boating trip - a plan that will not only expose closeted skeletons, but also shatter and change everyone's lives forever.