Tara is a very clever nine year-old who is desperately in love with her father. She perceives her Mother as always getting in the way of their fun together. One evening, very late at night, Tara is awakened by shouting and slamming doors. By the time she gets to the locked front door, her daddy is already gone and her mother is in no mood for providing comfort. Tara's mother only tells her that 'he is never, ever coming back'. Tara is convinced that her mother is just trying to keep them apart because she's jealous that Tara loves him and not her; she also thinks that her daddy had to leave because he just couldn't take her mother's bad attitude anymore. When Tara's mother leaves to find a job the next morning, Tara begins to plot a plan to ensure that she can be reunited with her daddy. Inspired by the cartoons she watches on television, Tara skips school and sets a trap.