JENNA RAMSEY, 14, never wants to hear about Noodling, the dangerous type of barehanded fishing popular in her small Oklahoma town, ever again. Unfortunately for Jenna, Pauls Valley is known for hosting the annual Okie Noodling Tournament and her father, JOHN, is their hometown’s famed former Noodling champion.

When John tells Jenna that he has asked his girlfriend DEE DEE to marry him, Jenna’s already fragile world crumbles a little more as it’s only been four years since her mother’s death. Jenna leaves to vent her frustrations and throws away the charm bracelet Dee Dee gave her — but she accidentally throws it at MIKEY, the new kid in town passing by on his skateboard. Before Jenna can even process their awkward interaction, he gets a call on his cell phone and skateboards away.

The next day, Jenna runs into Mikey again and her interest in him is piqued some more when she learns he’s from New York City. Eager to find out more about this place where her mother once lived, Jenna inundates him with questions about the big city. Mikey, however, is more enthralled by the Noodling trophies strewn about the Ramsey home. John comes home and begins regaling them with tales of his younger Noodling days—much to Jenna’s chagrin and Mikey’s fascination.

Mikey begs John and Jenna to take him on a Noodling trip. Jenna reluctantly says she’ll to go, if only to spend time with this intriguing new person while John agrees to take them in hopes of recapturing the connection he had with his daughter before her mother passed.

After they drive to and set up camp at the Washita River, Mikey comforts Jenna after she tells him that her mother was killed in a car accident coming back from the Noodling Tournament, forever marring the sport in her mind.

The next morning, the team hits the water. John sees his chance to jump in but his rusty Noodling skills get the best of him. Running on instinct to help her dad, Jenna leaps to action and victoriously grabs a handle on the problematic catfish, thus discovering her latent talent for the sport she most despised. Back at the campsite, Dee Dee greets the bruised and battered guys and beaming Jenna.

With this renewed pride of being a Ramsey, Jenna and John can finally be honest about the sadness of losing her mother and find a new place to connect and support one another.