Andy Nichol, 12, like most kids his age, will do anything to avoid conflict in fear of suffering overwhelming ridicule and punishment from his peers. Unfortunately for Andy, that's all about to change. Andy is put to the test when his English teacher, Mr. Simon (Ed Harris), pairs him up with the school's biggest outcast, Stanley. However, what Andy will soon learn is that there truly was a method behind Mr. Simon's madness as to why he teamed these two up... Not only does Andy discover that being different is acceptable in the end, but most importantly, he starts to understand the value of tolerance and culpability.