Somewhere in the dead of freezing winter, a kid of about 13 lives with his older sister Wendy and his single mom, who works nights at a bar. The youth, Rob, is in search of a father. When he and Wendy miss the school bus one morning, they knock on the door of their neighbor, Randy, who gives them a ride. It turns out that Wendy is meeting a boyfriend and intends to skip school. Rob figures out how to convince Randy to let him miss school as well, and the two of them will go ice fishing. Maybe Rob has found that father figure he longs for. That night, events take an unexpected turn.