Porcupine Lake is a story of bravery and the secret life of girls set in Northern Ontario during a hot and hazy summertime when adulthood has not yet arrived, but childhood is quickly vanishing.

Two brothers: one a drug-dealing layabout, while the other is a hardworking "model son." When the one begins straightening himself out by becoming a high school track star, the other is jealous and retreats into alcohol.