In this story, assistant high school principal Rob Charters (Bruce Dern) and his wife Jan (Lee Remick) are good suburban parents with one model child Scott (Eric Schiff) and a 17 year old son Gary (Jason Patric) who has been using drugs. Gary's violent behavior convinces Rob and Jan that to save Gary they must lock him out, refuse to help him when he is jailed and let him live in poverty. For the Charters it is heartrendering as they wonder if they have made the right choice. After Gary learns that his friend Kristen has died of an overdose he returns home and agrees to sign a TOUGHLOVE contract. In a poignant reunion, the Charters realize TOUGHLOVE has given them a chance to put their family back together. TOUGHLOVE is a peer support group which helps parents cope with feelings of guilt, failure and helplessness as they deal with troubled teenagers by learning that being tough on your kid may be the most loving thing you can do.
