A dysfunctional New England family relies on the son prone to witnessing horrible accidents to get them though the hard times in this wry period comedy drama set in the 1980s. Billy Conway never set out to see the gruesome side of life, he just always happened to be around when it presented itself. One day, a terrible accident befalls the Conways, leaving one child dead and another severely brain-damaged. In the aftermath, Billy's dad leaves home. Caught between his troubled brother and his embittered mother, young Billy begins to stray from his good-son roots by hanging out with the neighborhood troublemaker. Who would have suspected that Billy's bad behavior could be the key to helping his family move on from the past and start life anew?