Mark is a young man born into a bad family situation. He lies about the reality of his life to hide his shame. Mark escapes from the chaos of his home by spending time in some nearby woods. He keeps a canvas bag hidden close to his house. It contains blankets, a flashlight, cans of food, a transistor radio, things to read, and more. The canvas bag makes his time in the woods possible.
Mark's life is a constant struggle to avoid the judgments of his family being placed on him. He feels helpless against his parent's unstable relationship constantly bringing him into embarrassing situations.
As he gets older, Mark's anger and resentment toward his family increases. He makes some bad decisions. There comes a time when he must choose a path for his life. This begins Mark's tremendous struggle to separate himself from the dysfunction of his family and his past mistakes.
Mark discovers his ability to write and then discovers himself.
When he graduates high school, Mark realizes he is not his parents. He no longer has to pay for their mistakes in life. Mark knows his struggles have made him stronger and more determined than anybody around him. After making peace with the past, Mark is able to move forward into adulthood.