Idaho teenager Mason Mullich's (Kartheiser) journey begins with a shocking accident and an extraordinary betrayal. When Mason's father (Arliss Howard), a wrapped-tight grain factory-worker obsessed with running for city council, is involved in a fatal crime, Mason is faced with a wrenching dilemma. Already feeling like the walking dead, dismayed to the point of inertia by the broken-down world around him and uncertain if such a thing as love even exists, Mason takes the devastating fall. But that is just the beginning.

What happens when a father's crimes are literally visited upon his son's soul? In Dandelion, this shattering event sets off a series of unforeseen after-effects inside Mason's world. Fresh out of juvenile prison, Mason emerges into a family and a community rife with unresolved tension. His father's anger and guilt, combined with his mother's (Academy Award nominee Mare Winningham) repression, make for a powder keg atmosphere at home. At school, the blind partying and frustration-fueled bullying of other teenagers keeps Mason at a distance.

But then there is the new girl in town -fearless, wild-hearted Danny (Manning). Though she lit a spark with Mason shortly before he went away, now things between them really start to burn. As Mason begins to fall irrevocably in love with Danny's large and open spirit, everything changes. Having wondered for years if he would ever find something that felt real and authentic - Mason discovers an empowering answer. Even the rank disapproval of Danny's distrusting mother can't seem to stop their relationship.