While crawfish fishing, teenager David Morgan meets his new neighbor, 16-year-old Megan, who, with her 10-year-old sister Susan, lives with the Chandler family. Mrs. Chandler, whom the children call Ruth, is not the best mother. She has three sons whom she lets drink beer and sometimes has lewd conversations with them.
Megan and Susan have a difficult life at Aunt Ruth's house. They have to endure beatings and humiliation from family members. Meg can't stand it and reports it to the sheriff, for which Ruth decides to teach her a lesson.