A boy trapped in a life of cruelty finally gathers the courage to escape his harsh parents. With nowhere to go, he embarks on a journey, hoping to find a new family who will accept and love him, but the search won’t be easy.

‘SPOILER ALERT’

The movie begins with a young boy named North sitting at the dining table, fidgeting with his fork and barely touching his food. He glances back and forth at his parents, who are noisily discussing the father’s extensive knowledge of pants.

Suddenly, North, stressed over their argument, begins experiencing a panic attack. His chest feels tight, and he tries to tell his parents what is happening to him.

Although North struggles with his parents, that is not the case when it comes to his experiences in his favorite place—school.

We see North confidently showcasing his various skills at school, including academics, where he scores 91, and baseball, where he bats with an average of 402.

Then, during a singing performance, he dresses up with a mustache on stage, entertaining the audience with his goofy personality, enjoyable singing, and energetic dancing.

And now at the table, he tries to grab his parents’ attention, but despite his unwavering efforts, he remains invisible. Finally, he decides to give it one last shot and asks his father if he knows what Winchell did to him.

When that is also ignored, he falls from his chair, and this time, his parents finally notice him. In sudden shock, they join him on the floor with concern. His father, ironically obsessed with pants, suggests that his mother loosen North’s pants.

North shakes his head, signaling that he is okay. But he couldn’t be further from okay. His parents’ neglect soon leads to a downward spiral in everything he knows. Everything he was once good at he is now failing at.

The science fair, performing, baseball—everything. North keeps questioning his parents’ lack of appreciation. Even though he is admired by many around him, none of it is the validation he craves the most—his parents’ approval.

His overthinking and mental anguish distract him from the achievements he is used to at school. Standing on the baseball field with his coach, he tries to vent about the lack of acknowledgement he receives from his parents.

However, his coach is too concerned about his physical health to understand what North truly means when he talks about his mental frustration.

North leaves the field and walks through a forest. The place is not only full of trees; it is also his secret spot. He then goes to his favorite place—a big brown sofa—and sits, contemplating.

As he sits there, a man dressed in a pink rabbit costume, holding a carrot, sits next to him and asks if he is okay. He offers North a carrot, which he quickly declines.

North and the Easter Bunny soon introduce themselves, including which floor the Bunny works on and what he does in his free time—which is nothing. He does nothing in his free time. North tells him he has had a bad day.

The Bunny, interested in hearing more, reminds North that he previously said he doesn’t want to hear anyone’s problems. But the Bunny insists, unable to believe how everything has turned out.

North finally opens up about his problems, telling the Bunny about his parents and how they only think of themselves. He confesses that he doesn’t get any attention from them.

The Bunny tells North that his parents probably don’t know the good things about him. North then shares what other parents think of him—they always make their kids follow his lead because they trust him that much.

Hearing this, the Bunny tells North that he also suffered from the same thing when he was a kid. North doesn’t want to admit they have a common problem, so the Bunny tells him about Mozart’s family.

Even though Mozart was successful, his parents used to nag him about everything. But finally, the Bunny tells North that there is nothing he can do because he cannot change the family he has.

It’s not like a baseball team where he can just switch teams. Then, the Bunny gets up to leave, telling him the only advice he can give is to go back home and make up with his family.

North is stuck on the statement about changing teams. So, he decides to do exactly that. He goes back to school and talks to his friend Winchell about it.

Winchell, a journalist at school, takes an interest in this. But North is unsure and hesitant, so he doesn’t want to make a move just yet.

Winchell shows him a geography test where North scored 34 out of 100. He reminds him that this is happening because he isn’t getting enough attention from his parents.

So, what he should do is change parents and get new ones. But North asks if he should give his parents a second chance. With this agreement, North goes out to call his mother, but she doesn’t pick up.

He then calls his father, but his father answers only to tell him he is busy and that they can talk during dinner. Then he hangs up.

By this, North makes up his mind and decides to go through with his plan. But when he gets out of school, Winchell has already executed the plan. He has printed a newspaper that says North is going to change parents and is looking for new ones.

After school, as North is walking home, a lawyer approaches him and asks if he can represent him in the trial he will be holding against his parents. North agrees and gets into his car.

After this, every child starts agreeing with North, and their parents, scared of losing their kids, begin acting better than before. After seeing the newspaper, North’s parents faint.

Journalists also take an interest in the story and try to interview North and his parents.

Then, the trial begins. During the trial, North’s parents show up but remain unconscious.

The judge starts the procedure, but seeing North’s parents lying on the stand, he decides to pass judgment in favor of North, giving him what he wants.

However, there is one condition—by the end of Labor Day, if North doesn’t find new parents or return to his old ones, he will be sent to an orphanage. North is startled by this, but his lawyer reassures him that everything will be fine.

After North starts receiving a lot of letters from different parents interested in adopting him, many agents are assigned to handle the requests. He also receives a large pile of mail, which his lawyer gives to him.

While handing it over, the lawyer mentions that North should think wisely because this isn’t a decision he can make lightly. Once he chooses his new parents, he won’t just be talking to them temporarily—it will be permanent.

North then sets out to meet new parents, and the first place he goes is Texas. When he lands at the airport, a man and a woman quickly greet him—these are his potential new parents.

They take him to a limousine waiting outside and start driving him to their home. They live in a rural area and tell him that he will inherit a lot of fortune if he becomes their son.

The man tells him that he has already signed over his estate to North, but North thinks things are moving too quickly and tells the man they should slow down.

Just then, he notices the Easter Bunny. However, when he approaches, the Bunny insists that he is not the Bunny.

Later, during dinner, North is served an excessive amount of food. When he asks why he is being given so much, the man explains that they want North to be big—really big—so he can resemble their late son.

Their son used to be large, but he passed away due to overeating. Hearing this, North becomes angry, realizing they only want him to replace their lost son.

The couple then starts singing about making him their child, further unsettling him. Weirded out, North steps outside and sits by himself, where he sees the Easter Bunny, now dressed as a cowboy.

They talk about what North is going to do next. After consulting with him for a while, the Easter Bunny leaves.

The next morning, North decides to leave Texas. The couple asks him to reconsider, but he insists on going back. He gets on a plane and heads to his next destination.

Meanwhile, back in his city, a movement in North’s name is growing. Winchell is motivating more kids to follow North’s example, and he is supported by North’s lawyer.

North then travels to Hawaii to meet another set of potential parents—the governor and his wife. They greet him warmly, and they have a fun day together, swimming and floating in the ocean.

They tell him about all the wonderful things Hawaii has to offer, trying to convince him to become their son.

North doesn’t decide immediately. Instead, he asks them one question—whether they had a son before and if they are looking for him to replace their child. The couple assures him that they never had a son and that he would be their first child. This makes North happy.

That night, the governor decides to introduce North to the town’s people. However, when North arrives, he sees a huge banner with an embarrassing picture of him—an octopus pulling his shorts down.

Furious, he demands to know why such an image is being displayed. To make matters worse, the same picture is posted in every airport in the city.

The governor and his wife then reveal their true intentions. They explain that Hawaii doesn’t get enough permanent residents—people just come to visit and leave. So, they are trying to attract more settlers by using North as a symbol to draw attention.

Hearing this, North realizes that Hawaii is not the place for him either. As he walks along the shore, he once again meets the Bunny, who, as always, denies being the same Bunny from before. He introduces himself again and talks to North about what just happened.

After this, North decides to leave Hawaii too and heads to Alaska. Back in his city, things are getting worse. The lawyer and Winchell are strengthening their movement, and kids are starting to see themselves as superior to their parents.

During a massage session, they discuss their plan to make the lawyer the president by having the kids order their parents to vote for him.

In Alaska, North likes the place as soon as he lands. His potential father comes to pick him up, and they ride a carriage pulled by huskies through the icy landscape. When they arrive at a small but cozy house, his potential mother gives him hot cocoa to drink, and they start talking.

His father offers to take him fishing, and they begin fishing inside the house through a hole in the ground that connects directly to the ice and water.

They tell him all the good things about Alaska, and North tries to make sure there’s no hidden agenda.

He asks what they benefit from it but they tell him that they don’t benefit from anything—they just want him to be whoever he wants to be and to become the best version of himself.

Hearing this, North gets excited, thinking that, unlike the previous families, these parents don’t want anything from him.

But then, suddenly, they start preparing to go to the ocean. When he asks why, they explain that his potential grandfather is going there. In Alaska, when people get old, they go to the ocean, drown themselves, and die with dignity.

North is terrified to hear this, but he cannot stop them from going. After introducing him to his potential grandfather, they all set out on the journey. Along the way, North bonds with his grandfather, and they grow close.

When they reach the location, North sees other elderly people walking into the ocean to end their lives. Horrified, he watches as his grandfather also prepares to go in. Before he does, he asks them to look for him if the tradition ever changes.

On the way back, North wants to sit alone, so he moves to the front carriage and sits next to the driver—who turns out to be the Bunny once again.

As always, the Bunny denies being the same Bunny North met before. They talk about what happened, and North admits that he doesn’t want to stay with these people.

The Bunny reminds him that he has a deadline on Labor Day and should hurry to find new parents before he is sent to an orphanage.

However, North isn’t enthusiastic about staying with these people. The Bunny tells him he can always go back to his old family, but North refuses. He insists he didn’t go through all of this just to return to his parents.

Determined to meet the deadline, North asks the driver to take him straight to the airport, and he heads out as quickly as possible.

Meanwhile, back in his city, North’s parents are still in a coma and have been on public display for an extended time. Large crowds gather to see them, as if they are an exhibit.

This is all Winchell’s idea—he wants to use them as a spectacle. North’s lawyer, Arthur, is worried that North might come back at any moment, which would ruin their plans. However, Winchell reassures him that it will never happen—he will make sure of it.

North continues his journey to find a new family. His next stop is an Amish community. When he lands, a group of Amish people welcomes him.

His potential father introduces himself, his wife, and their children. North feels out of place among them and tells them he just needs to grab something from the plane. Instead, he quickly boards the plane and flies away to his next potential family.

With only a week left, North is running out of time. His next stop is with a Chinese family. However, they immediately start talking about giving him a haircut, and he decides to skip them as well.

Next, he arrives in Zaire, Africa, where the people don’t wear clothes. Feeling uncomfortable, he chooses to move on from there, too. Finally, he travels to France.

In France, North sits with a family, both parents smoking, while he changes through TV channels, trying to find something to watch.

They laugh at everything on the screen, but North feels awkward sitting between them as they continue smoking. After this, he decides to move on to the next set of parents.

News reports cover his journey, stating that the youngest traveler is now heading to New York to meet his final set of potential parents.

The last family is Ward and Donna Nelson, who have two kids, Bud and Laura. They live in Bedford.

The news reporter mentions his potential father, Ward Nelson, expresses his wish for North—that after this exhausting journey, he will finally come to a loving home where he feels welcomed enough to stay.

When North reaches their house, Donna steps outside and calls out to the others, announcing that he has arrived. They welcome him warmly and offer cookies and drinks as they walk into the house. North follows them inside.

Meanwhile, Arthur and Winchell discuss their plans. Arthur is worried that the news isn’t talking about him enough as the potential next president. But Winchell reassures him that with constant publicity, it won’t be long before he’s all over the media—because he will make it happen.

Then, a security guard calls Winchell and tells him that North’s parents are waking up. Winchell orders the guard to handle the situation as he has done before.

The guard goes to North’s parents as they wake up, and when they ask about their son, he tells them that a limousine is waiting for them and asks if they want anything to eat. They agree and head out.

However, as they walk out, two people who look exactly like them enter and take their place behind the glass display.

North plays football with his new family, and they have fun together. Afterward, they sit down to eat. As they eat, everyone treats him like family, but the father reminds them that North hasn’t decided yet.

Hearing this, Bud and Laura start begging him to stay and accept them as his new family. However, North is still hesitant because he is hurt by what happened with his original parents.

Meanwhile, his real parents are recording a video message for North, with Winchell leading them. They tell North that they want him back, that they love him, and that they want to give him attention and improve their ways.

Winchell encourages them to be more open and vulnerable, but then adds that if North doesn’t return, they can always adopt a new kid. He tells them about a child named Hugh. However, North’s father immediately says he doesn’t want Hugh.

Winchell then asks if they want coffee, which they decline. He tells them they will continue later and sends them outside.

North’s father is a bit weirded out by how much control Winchell has, considering he is just a sixth grader. He asks him what exactly he is doing, but Winchell brushes it off and shuts the door on him.

Back in the house, North plays games with his new family. They laugh and have fun together. But soon, it’s time for bed. The parents say goodnight to their kids, and everyone heads to their bedrooms.

Then the doorbell rings. The parents go to answer it and receive a message for North—it’s a videotape. The delivery guy tells them to make sure North gets the message.

They call North and inform him that he has a message from his original parents. He asks for permission to play the tape, and they grant it.

When North plays the tape, it shows the video his parents recorded earlier—but it has been heavily edited. The video is manipulated to make it seem like his parents don’t want him at all and that they don’t miss him.

Winchell is the one who edited the footage to make it appear this way. After watching the video, North makes his final decision. He tells the Nelsons that he wants them to be his new parents, and they all celebrate happily.

North goes to an amusement park with his new family. While sitting on a roller coaster, cotton candy in hand, he contemplates his past life. He still needs answers, and because of that, he can never truly settle with this new family.

So, he decides to leave. As he is about to go, his family asks why he is leaving. North, still confused himself, tells them that he just needs to go.

He reassures them that they are lovely people and that they will be fine without him. But deep down, he knows this is the only way for him to find closure.

Donna gives him a sandwich in case he gets hungry on his journey, and he gratefully accepts it. With that, the family watches as North leaves.

Now, North has only 24 hours before Labor Day. If he doesn’t find his real parents by then, his only option is to disappear—he refuses to go to the orphanage. He goes to the airport and gives the change that the bunny gave him in Texas to a beggar, telling him it might bring him luck.

At the airport, one of Winchell’s men is tailing him, reporting his movements to Winchell. On the other end, Winchell listens before hanging up and turning to Arthur, who is nervously waiting for an update.

Winchell tells him that North is coming back to the city. Arthur, worried, asks what they are going to do now. But Winchell smugly insists that this situation will work to their advantage.

North has rejected many parents, so they can use that against him for their political benefit. If an angry parent kills North, it would serve their plan perfectly. Smiling, Winchell says they might get lucky. The plan is to have Al kill North.

Al follows North and starts shooting at him. North, startled, begins running through the amusement park. A high-speed chase ensues, but North manages to escape and enters a park.

He picks up a sweater from one of the benches and puts it on to change his appearance. Then he starts walking through the forest in the park.

After walking for a while, North hears his name being called. He turns and sees Adam, his classmate from school. Adam, dressed in black, tells him to act natural. North leans against the wall, trying to blend in.

Adam tells him to forget that he ever saw him today and to erase this conversation from his memory. North, feeling weird about it, agrees.

Adam then hands him a tape. North tells him he has already watched it, but Adam insists that he hasn’t—because he knows the tape was tampered with.

Adam reveals that Winchell has gone too far and has even confiscated North’s real parents. He urges North to watch the tape because he has been trying to get it to him for a while.

Before North can process everything, he suddenly turns when he hears police sirens. When North looks back, Adam has vanished.

Still confused by everything happening, North goes to a hot dog stand and buys a hot dog. When he receives his change, he notices a coin—the same one he had given up at the airport.

Puzzled, he asks the vendor where he got the coin, but ultimately decides to leave it and keeps walking.

Just then, Al shows up again and starts shooting. North runs to escape, but in the process, he drops his hat. Al picks up the hat and notices a trail of blood on it. Realizing that he may have actually shot North, he pauses.

However, North has managed to escape. He sneaks into a restaurant kitchen, blending in with the ingredients being delivered. The trail of blood on his hat turns out to be sauce from one of the cartons of ingredients.

After getting off the cart, North walks through the kitchen, but in his rush, he forgets the tape on one of the cartons. A chef accidentally knocks the carton, causing the tape to fly into the air. It lands in his hand as North makes his way out of the kitchen.

He steps into the hotel hall, and the bunny, now appearing as a completely different person, is making a speech. After his speech, the crowd erupts in applause for him.

North starts searching for a player to watch the tape. When he enters a room, he finds the Bunny after his performance on stage. As soon as North steps in, the Bunny immediately offers him a VCR player.

Confused, North asks how he knew he needed one, but as always, the Bunny brushes it off. When North brings up their earlier meetings again, the Bunny avoids the subject.

North then plays the tape and sees his real parents crying, telling him that they miss him, that they want him back, and that they will improve their way of raising him. North realizes that the previous tape was fake.

He explains to the Bunny that his parents never gave him attention, which is why he started looking for new ones. But no matter how good his new families were, he was never satisfied, which is why he kept leaving them.

The Bunny tells him that the problem isn’t with the families or him—it’s that North always wanted his real family because that’s how it’s supposed to be.

He reminds North that, while he has many friends and an audience that cheers for him, when he truly needs help, it’s not the crowd he will turn to—it’s his real family.

Hearing this, North finally understands. He decides to go back to his parents and runs out of the room.

The Bunny calls after him, asking how he plans to reach the airport and if he even has a car. North reminds him that he’s only 11 years old. So, the Bunny decides to drive him.

They go outside, and the Bunny drives him to the airport. When North gets inside and is about to buy a ticket, the woman at the counter stops him, saying he cannot board the plane because—according to the news—he is already dead.

She shows him a newspaper with the headline stating that North is deceased. Confused, North insists that he is alive because he is standing right there, talking to her.

Their conversation grabs the attention of a group of kids behind him, and they all begin to realize that he is actually alive. Suddenly, the kids start chasing him.

North runs out of the airport, trying to escape. Then he spots a delivery truck, and inside—once again—is the Bunny, now posing as the driver.

North jumps in and asks if he is some kind of guardian angel, but the Bunny brushes it off. North tells him that he needs to get home before morning.

Now acting as a delivery man, the Bunny tells North to get into a box so he can ship him home in time. At the same moment, Winchell receives a message that North is inside a Federal Express delivery truck.

Winchell looks at Al and asks him how he assumed North was dead. Al pulls out North’s hat and shows it to Winchell, pointing out what looks like blood on it. He explains that he shot North, so he should be dead.

Winchell picks up the hat, smells it, and even tastes the stain—only to realize that it’s just sauce. He tells Al that North is actually alive, and they need to change their plan.

Meanwhile, North gets delivered to his house. Excited, he rushes inside, calling for his parents. But they are nowhere to be found. Instead, he finds Winchell sitting in the kitchen, waiting for him.

As soon as North enters, he confronts Winchell about everything he has done. Then, he reveals that North’s parents are actually waiting for him at his secret spot—but he only has a short time to reach them.

North asks how Winchell knows about his secret spot, and Winchell smugly responds that he is a journalist—he knows everything.

With this, North runs outside, desperately trying to reach his parents before time runs out. His parents, nervously checking the time, wait for him at the spot. The judge is also there, ready to send North to the orphanage if he doesn’t make it in time.

North runs through cliffs, trees, and mud, pushing himself forward. As time is about to run out, he finally reaches the secret spot and sprints toward his parents. They, too, start running toward him.

Just as they are about to reach each other, Al fires his gun—and at that moment, North wakes up. It was all a dream.

The last thing he did before falling asleep was meet the Bunny at his secret spot. Everything that happened after that was just a dream.

The Bunny, still carrying his costume, sees North waking up and offers to give him a ride home since it’s late.

He drops North off at his house, where his parents rush outside, overjoyed to see him. They tell him they were worried sick—they called the police, the hospital, and everyone they knew to find him.

North reassures them, saying he simply fell asleep in the mall. As they walk inside together, they start talking about what they’ll have for dinner.

The story of North teaches us that, like North himself, we may sometimes believe that finding something better will bring us happiness, only to realize that what we truly need has been there all along.

North 1994.