The Tank

Lizzie Walker is about to enter high school in her small town. Her mother Vivian, who has been haunted by lifelong mental illness, had a complete psychotic breakdown after the drowning of Lizzie's younger sister and has been institutionalized. On Vivian's first weekend home visit in over a year, Lizzie walks in on her just as she is committing suicide in the most violent way possible.

All of these events have caused Lizzie's classmates to call her "the tragic kid" and they keep their distance. Lizzie's father Nate is devastated by grief and he does his best to care for Lizzie but quickly descends into depression and alcoholism leaving her to be the grown-up in the house and take care of him. Without parental guidance and no close friends, Lizzie is left to find her own way in the confusing world of the late 1960's and early 1970's.

With her keen intuition that gives her knowledge and insight way beyond her years and with her constant thirst for knowledge and a desire to fit in with the crowd, Lizzie is left to navigate the turbulent social climate of high school and the minefield of emotions that continually complicate her life.