 Steven lives with his mother who works at the University. He is proud of her and uses medical knowledge she has given him to present a talk to his class. A schoolfriend shatters his illusions however by telling him that his mother performs experiments upon live animals. With his friend Steven breaks into the laboratory and releases hundreds of animals. One, a dog, is valuable. His mother is distraught but confesses her feelings of pride in her son for his convictions. Steven finds the dog and runs away to a sanctuary up in the hills that his absent father had shown him. Together, his parents search for the fugitives.