A son tells a series of stories, most of them about his father and stepfather. As the son describes a robbery that took place at his house in high school and his experiences with his father, a former Jehovah's Witness and current alcoholic, he begins to recall details from his childhood.

When child protective services shows up on her doorstep with a stepson she's never met, a woman hauls the kid to her childhood home in Idaho. She finds work as a fire lookout and grows attached to the child, who is put in danger by natural disaster.

A stay-at-home dad with a wife who works in Manhattan attempts to find a sense of control by tenderly disciplining his young son after he puts himself in danger.

While witnessing his boys of his neighbor's family commit chaotic damage to the people of the neighborhood, a father continues to show kindness. The neighbor's family faces their own drama until they are no longer a part of the neighborhood.

Amidst an outbreak of child abductions across the country, two new parents with toddler twins grapple with growing paranoia and keeping their young boys safe, which begins to put a strain on their evolving marriage.

Though numerous social workers try to step in, a co-dependent mother and son bounce from city to city, in search of a place where they can be together at all times.

When 17-year-old girl becomes pregnant, she has no choice but to hide her pregnancy. As she grows older, she realizes she must unburden herself of the secret, or hide it for the rest of her life.

The impact of an absent father emerges in the gruesome stories of a young daughter as her alcoholic mother listens and reflects on the struggles of raising her alone.

When a mother takes her children to buy a puppy from another mother, she finds an unsettling household and a child chained like a dog in the backyard. Through their alternating narratives, both mothers reflect on what it means to love your children.

A high school boy makes a habit of stealing cars, picking up girls, and skipping school. When he begins to worry that he is getting into too much trouble, the boy must decide whether to seek help or continue his criminal lifestyle.