Shaun Brumder is a local surfer kid from Orange County who dreams of going to Stanford to become a writer and to get away from his disfunctional family household. Except Shaun runs into one complication after another starting when his application is rejected after his dim-witted guidance counselor sends the wrong application.

A 14-year-old girl who works at a racetrack trains a talking racehorse with issues, transforming him into a winner.