Meg (Agnes Bruckner) is an average teen making do in the wake of her parents' divorce. When her English teacher, Mr. Auster (David Strathairn), becomes interested in her poetry and offers to help her with her writing, Meg turns to his attentions like a flower to the sun. When tragedy unfolds at home, she finds in him the approval, faith and enthusiasm she craves. She doesn't stop to think about what Mr. Auster hopes to find in her.