Fourteen-year-old Scott Kramer loves football and is a dedicated tackle. He puts his heart and energy into the game and is rewarded with praise from his coach and teammates until marijuana, placed there by an unknown person, is discovered in his duffel bag.

The moment Scott sees it, he tries to hide it from the coach. Bounced off the team in disgrace, Scott is dismayed by the event and does not know how to handle it.

Scott makes other wrong decisions before he clears his name. He decides not to tell his parents. They were hurt badly when his brother was involved with drugs, and he does not want to inflict that hurt again. Of course, they find out anyway and because of Scott's silence, are hesitant to believe him innocent. Some of the other players tell the coach that Scott has smoked tobacco...