In Holcomb, Kansas, in 1959 the Clutter family is murdered and Carly Fleming, recently arrived from New York, inserts herself into the investigation, along with New Yorker writer Truman Capote.

When his charming but irresponsible uncle comes to visit his small Kansas hometown, fourteen-year-old Les Ekhardt hopes to get tips from him about succeeding with girls, but he learns much more important lessons from his stodgy, predictable parents and friendships with a lesbian classmate and one of Uncle Ray's former girlfriends.