A mischievous high school sophomore faces a conflict of conscience vs. character when his best friend becomes linked to the death of a youth from another clique in suburban Middle America circa '76.

Boys behaving badly. Jay, a middle-class high-school sophomore, hangs out in his L.A. suburb with slackers, dopers, petty thieves and punks. Everyone has a nickname; his is Worm. His best friend, John, aka Mt. Rushmore, severely beats another student at a wedding Jay and his pals crash. At the wedding, Jay falls for Wendy, one of the jock clique. Jay has his code: no ratting out your friends. So, when the beating victim dies, Jay doesn't help the cops. Meanwhile, his relationship with Wendy develops quickly into a first love. With knives, whiskey, and drugs close at hand, can Jay navigate assaults on his manhood, the strains of friendship, and the whispers of commitment?—<jhailey@hotmail.com>