When Mike Longridge gets in trouble yet again, he is given a choice: juvenile detention or an outdoor program called Explore. He chooses Explore, but he worries about how he can survive ten months with the hippies and keeners in the program. He is certain he will never get the hang of outdoor activities, and the only person who understands him is the other juvenile delinquent in the program. Will Mike return to his trouble-making ways, or will he finally find a place to belong?