When his mother dies of a heroin overdose, 17-year-old Joshua "J" Cody moves in with his estranged relatives in a Southern California beach town. Heading up their petty crime dynasty is J's manipulative grandmother, Janine "Smurf" Cody, whose iron-fisted, velvet-gloved tough love controls her four sons: adopted right-hand man Barry "Baz"; intense, mentally disturbed Pope; tough, hyperactive Craig; and troubled "baby", Deran. As J copes with losing his mum, aggressive rivalry between his uncles, and a helpful high school teacher, his new family incites more danger, excitement and trouble than he's ever known.