Elle Jensen and her father are on the run from Seattle, where her mother was murdered, and California, where Elles boyfriend turns out to be more than they wanted.

Jake Dickson has been struggling to fit in with the kids at school. He has one friend, Gary, who lives on a farm a few miles down the road.

When Jake notices the new girl at school, he will stop at nothing to meet her, even if it includes a trip to a local lot under a bridge known as The River, where the school bully and Karen The Goth frequent. During their first meeting a mysterious man appears from nowhere covered in blood. Friendships are formed as four teenagers fight to shed their pasts while exploring the strange events happening beneath the bridge.