17-year-old Arman Dukoff is crippled by anxiety and chronic illness when he arrives at an expensive self-help retreat in the remote hills of Big Sur. He s taken a huge risk and two-thousand dollars from his meth-head stepfather for a chance to "evolve," as Beau, the retreat leader, says. Beau is complicated. A father figure? A cult leader? A con man? Arman's not sure, but more than anyone he's ever met, Beau makes Arman feel something other than what he usually feels worthless.