Cole has been getting into trouble most of his life. But when he viciously beats and injures a classmate, he chooses “Circle Justice,” an alternative sentencing program based on Native American tradition, to determine his punishment. Sent to a remote Alaskan island where he must spend a year alone, Cole eats worms and rodents and is seriously injured by a bear. He survives, but in the process he learns about controlling anger and the fact that he can change both physically and spiritually.