Justin McLeod has been living the life of a recluse for seven years, ever since his face was horribly disfigured. Known by the locals as "Hamburger Head", he's the subject of many rumours and wild stories. Chuck is a young boy determined to get into the same military school as his father, despite his mother's protests and his half-sisters' mocking, even if it means studying all through the summer. Desperate for a tutor, Chuck encounters the reclusive McLeod, and together they begin to help each other deal with a world that has shunned them both.