In the country of Yeats, Wilde, and Joyce, sixteen-year-old Charlie Bruno looks to escape the recent death of his parents by enrolling in a study abroad program for troubled youths. For Charlie and his fellow students, schooling goes far beyond the classroom. Lesson plans include experimentation with art, drugs, sex, nightlife, and the irrepressible desire to bleed their youth of all its inherent potential. While diligently attempting to lose his virginity, Charlie is joined by a group of adolescents similarly venturing to exorcise their innocence in hope of discovering wisdom. As these young people are ferried from adolescence to adulthood, they do their very best to look over the side, rock the boat, and taste the water - without growing too seasick.
