Dade has been working at his family's grocery store, Star Food, since its inception. Unlike his father's strict work ethic and hefty moral compass, Dade prefers to spend his days on the store's roof, looking up at the clouds. Dade's mother takes his cloud-watching to mean he is gifted like Galileo. While she encourages Dade's curiosity, Dade's father doesn't understand the appeal. Nevertheless, Dade's father allows his daydreaming so long as he cleans the big star above the store's sign each night. One day, when Dade is working the register at his family's grocery store Star Food, a woman walks in and steal a loaf of rye bread. Paralyzed by her presence, Dade lets her walk out the front door. He immediately tells his mother what happened, saying she was too fast to catch. The next time he sees the woman walk in, Dade is once again mesmerized. This time, she takes two cans of pineapple juice and walks right out the front door. The third time, she steals a bottle of milk. Dade's father finds out about the shoplifter and hires a security guard for the store.
One night, as Dade took his usual post on the roof, four air force jets zoom by overhead. Suddenly, Dade has an epiphany: the woman is a thief and deserves to be caught. Dade waits patiently for the shoplifter to return. When she comes into the store a few days later, Dade is ready -- he grabs her by the arm and leads her into the back of the store so his father can lay into her. But, despite his prior eagerness to catch her, he unlocks the back door and lets her escape.