Fifteen-year-old Anna's (Funke) weight makes her a natural target for bullies. When her mother(Gomez) transfers Anna to the school where she teaches in order to protect her daughter, it only makes things worse. Anna's environmentalist dad (O'Byrne) is determined to finish his new book and save the planet, and so is no help at all.

Just as Anna gets suspended for retaliating to her bullies, her estranged uncle Terry (Gyllenhaal) arrives unannounced. A heartbroken drifter with the mouth of a sailor, Terry reaches out to Anna in a way that no one ever has. Their unexpected friendship sends her parents' rocky marriage into a tailspin as the whole family wonders, what - or who - is in need of saving?