Cocky and headstrong Johnny Truelove (EMILE HIRSCH) is living the wannabe's American dream as a drug dealer in the privileged neighborhoods in LA. For Johnny and his crew their existence is a heady blur of partying and looking for the next thrill.

When raging hothead Jake (BEN FOSTER) fails to come up with money he owes Johnny, the situation escalates into a battle for dominance, with Johnny and his gang impulsively kidnapping Jake's little brother, Zack (ANTON YELCHIN). Johnny's group decides to keep the kid as a hostage, but slowly they begin including him in their parties. Under the care of Johnny’s charismatic friend Frankie (JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE), Zack now enjoys an illicit summer fantasy of girls and drinking.

Everyone soon begins to lose sight that Zack is 'a stolen boy', and can't just be simply returned. Johnny's dad (BRUCE WILLIS) attempts to convince his son to return the hostage. With police called in by the boy’s distraught mother (SHARON STONE), the situation grows even more complex. For Johnny, the line between playing a thug and becoming one soon blurs, with very real consequences for everyone involved...