Jake is a happy-go-lucky military brat with no place to call home. When his father returns from Vietnam suffering from PTSD, his mundane existence changes. The family packs everything and moves to a mountainous jungle paradise. As Jake adjusts to his father's illness, he makes new friends and discovers a world both beautiful and rife with danger. His neighbor, a special forces commando, teaches Jake Karate in exchange for help with his unusual pets. When Jake is injured, the commando gives him a secret herb to help him recover. Over time, Jake develops unusual side-effects which they try to hide. The family moves and moves again as military families do, creating many hardships for Jake and his brother.

Due to his father's PTSD, the family becomes increasingly dysfunctional, leaving Jake to lean on his brother and others for guidance. When the effects mature, the things Jake discovers about himself and what he's become leaves him sour. The only bright spot left in his life is Sheri, who may be more broken than himself.