At a carnival in rural Oklahoma, a thirteen-year-old girl Jessup watches her family. She sees her mom, who is the best-looking woman in town, holding June, who is able to disguise herself as a baby because of her short stature, though she resents this role. They just moved to the area and move around following carnivals across small towns in the American south. They are a family of con artists and thieves.

The young girl feels that, unlike her mother, she doesn’t want to wear makeup because it is better for her not to be noticed. The people in town gossip about her mom—especially after she moved in with the sheriff, Paul Ray. Paul thinks that her mom will marry him, but the young girl knows her mom is bad at the long haul.

Paul has a son Calvin. Jessup sleeps in Calvin’s room since they moved into the house. Calvin no longer lives there, and she wonders if Calvin’s dad forced him to leave. Jessup finds a box of his things under his bed. Inside the box are a lock of a girl’s hair, a picture of the girl at a young age, and an entire fingernail.

Jessup sees Calvin at school in the senior’s parking lot. He is usually rowdy and calls to girls who do not respond. She thinks she would like to be like Calvin and drink beer and skip school.

At the Carnival, Jessup’s family begins to stage a scene for her to pickpocket. Lainey screams and pretends to hurt her ankle. The mom tries to comfort her, as a man in the crowd calls for an ambulance. During the pandemonium, Jessup picks the pockets of several bystanders. Her mom has told her only to take cash. She stops because they will be staying in the small town for a while and don’t want to draw too much attention to the crimes. A doctor emerges from the crowd and inspects Lainey. He says her leg is broken and that she must be taken for treatment. This is surprising to Jessup because this was all staged and her leg is fine. She knows that the Dr. suspects them of criminal activity and that they will certainly be going to jail. She thinks this is the time they should run to the trailer behind the Ace Hardware and move to a new town. The crowd disperses. Her mom finds her and tells her to take care of ‘baby’ June while she goes with Lainey.

Jessup is angry at her mom for likely leaving her with a mess. June asks Jessup for money. June takes her hair down and stops acting like a baby. She gives her sister some of the stolen bills to play games.

A voice from behind Jessup calls out. It is Calvin. He says he saw what she did, but that he isn’t going to tell. She finds him attractive. She halfway wishes he would take his shirt off. She feels seen when he looks at her. He asks her to get a soda with him. She agrees. He has his hand on her shoulder. She feels like an adult. At the concession stand, she sees two girls from school, looking afraid when they see her with Calvin. One of them opens her mouth to speak but Calvin interrupts her and tells them to “Get along.”

Calvin gives her a slushie and mixes it with liquid from his personal flask. She drinks it though it tastes like gasoline. She says she likes it which makes Calvin happy.

Jessup goes to check on her sister. She sees that Calvin’s dad, the Sherriff Paul Ray, has already picked up June. He knows she is not a real baby and treats her like one as the family does. Jessup finds it odd that he holds two contradictions as truths in his head as he is the Sheriff. Paul Ray says he is going to take June home. Jessup says she wants to stay a bit. June cries and doesn’t want her to leave her. Paul Ray says she may stay a bit and gives her twenty dollars. Jessup feels like she may cry.

She goes back to Calvin, and they decide to walk around for a bit. She drinks more liquid. Calvin presses her into him and forces his tongue into her mouth. He tells her he likes her. She doesn’t know what to think and feels that she does not like the feeling of kissing but knows better than to say anything because she wants him to like her.

Calvin says he wants to take Jessup somewhere more private. She nods like it is what she wants though she has no idea how to do what he wants. That is, she knows what he is insinuating but does not know how to do it correctly. As they walk around the edge of the carnival, she searches for their camper. Calvin rubs her nipple. She wonders if he can tell that she is wearing a training bra.

She asks about his dad. He says they don’t talk because of things he has done. He expresses that it doesn’t matter what he did, but that he won’t change who he is for other people.

She knows exactly what he means and feels excited to meet another outsider. She has pity for him in her chest.

He asks if she wants to be his girlfriend; she says yes. She feels like she can finally tell someone everything. He grabs a piece of her hair and asks if he can cut it. She asks if it is for his box. He gets defensive. He says he is going to cut it. She says okay.  

At this point, Jessup figures the doctor has sent her mom to jail.

Calvin pulls Jessup's hair so hard tears well in her eyes. She remembers the fingernail in the box. He kisses her again. She sees the family camper. She knows how to start it and drive it. She tells Calvin to wait and that she has a better idea. She takes off toward the camper; Calvin chases her. Calvin grabs her as she enters the camper. He throws her down and a button tears off her shirt.

She attempts to distract him again by calling out that she has something. She reaches out for a penny as police are heard outside. The police approach the camper, looking for evidence of the crimes committed by the mom and her daughters. While Calvin is distracted, Jessup escapes like a shadow.