Curtis' mother doesn't come home after her all-night shift at the gas bar and for a time he manages on his own, looking after himself and his five-year-old brother. The credit card maxes out, and the landlord starts demanding the rent. The boys make friends with Mrs. Burt who takes them to her remote cabin by a lake, but as summer turns to fall, Mrs. Burt seems to be prepared to spend winter in the cabin.
