Drowning in grief over the death of his father and more literally underneath the boxes and bags that corral his mother's obsession, Mark Brunson struggles just to tread water. Weighed down by high school hierarchy and a beautiful, yet vindictive ex-girlfriend Mark desperately needs a life raft. Instead, he is gifted Lester - the white trash, rodent-faced next-door neighbor who threatens to expose Mark's hidden sin. One Big Mess follows Mark during his first week of tenth grade on his journey from outcast to icon culminating in a fist fight at "the pit" and a redemption made muddy by outmoded institutions and biased convictions.