After causing an accident that leaves his younger brother severely injured, 16-year old GOON is sent to a juvenile detention center in rural Florida. Wracked with crushing guilt, he is determined to earn early release and reunite with JAMES before the brothers lose one another in the foster care system. 

Despite his desire to lay low, challenges for the oversized Goon begin right away when he is accosted by a fellow passenger in the transport van. In his first weeks at the experimental facility, he triggers several awkward missteps, becoming the favorite target of the resident bully and later causing a riot that jeopardizes the other boys’ hopes of forming a basketball team. 

With encouragement from his counselor and a few caring teachers, Goon realizes that he may have more to offer than just an intimidating presence. He reluctantly accepts the challenge to transform from a follower into a leader. He proves his loyalty and friendship to the other boys, earns the respect of his supervisor at the horse stables, and sparks a budding romance with TRUDY, the supervisor’s headstrong niece.

As a Category 3 hurricane bears down on the center, Goon discovers that his roommate has stabbed the increasingly violent bully in self-defense. Goon relies on his physical and emotional strength to battle 100-mph winds, saving the bully as well as a runaway horse.

The near-fatal stabbing and the devastating hurricane lead state officials to shut down the center, and Goon is scheduled to finish the rest of his sentence elsewhere. Despondent that he may lose track of his brother, he makes a successful plea for Trudy’s aunt to be assigned as the boys’ foster mother. Goon leaves for his next placement, confident that he has not only earned a chance at redemption, but that he’s also beginning to discover the best version of himself.

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