Thirteen-year-old Nebraska girl Luli has been dealt a rough hand. Certain she's destined for a more glamorous life, Luli packs her things --including her new birthday gift, a Smith & Wesson .45 --and hitches a ride to Vegas. Dressed like a girl twice her age, she's immediately picked up by a wannabe cowboy but the two fail to hit it off and Luli is ejected from the car. Luckily, she soon meets Glenda, a grifter who acts as Luli's big sister, albeit one who offers her drugs and uses her as an accessory to a robbery. Luli's life on the road takes more than few calamitous detours, but her flippant attitude and feisty demeanor prevent the dark moments from veering into gratuitously grim territory.