Camp Nowhere

Mud Himmel faces a summer he dreads when his parents insist he attend camp. He hates cabins, schedules, and being away from home. The prospect of a boring, parent-driven summer sparks him to hatch a plan to avoid it altogether.

Mud teams up with friends who are fed up with adult-directed summers. They decide to create their own camp with no parents, no counselors, and no rules. They start laying the groundwork during a casual hangout and imagine a summer that’s entirely their own.

They set their sights on Dennis Van Welker, a former drama teacher who is currently in debt and being pursued by T.R. Polk. To secure his help, they threaten to expose him if he doesn’t go along. Dennis agrees, demanding $1,000 and protection from Polk.

Dennis agrees to assist and they begin plotting in secret. He uses theatrical tricks to help sell the illusion of a real camp to skeptical parents. The plan is simple: fool the parents, fund the project, and keep the kids entertained.

With Dennis’s help, the kids trick all the parents into sending their children to the fake camp. They rent an old campground by a lake and set up a cabin to host it. The site once belonged to a hippie commune from the 1960s and 70s, giving it an offbeat atmosphere.

For a while the camp is running and the kids get a taste of independence. They use the money to buy toys and food and keep the illusion alive. Some parents begin to believe the camp is real, while others remain skeptical.

After an initial rush, the novelty wears thin and the kids wonder if they should just go home. Mud seeks Dennis’s help to keep things interesting, and Dennis suggests new activities and schemes. The camp continues to feel magical, because nothing is what it seems.

When parents announce they want to visit, Mud hatches a plan to hide the camp. The group quickly rearranges the site and creates multiple pretend camps—fat camp, computer camp, military camp, and acting camp—to fool the visitors. Within a few hours they pull off the deception, maintaining the illusion.

Polk tracks Dennis down, and a state trooper joins the pursuit. They make their way into the camp and confront Dennis, threatening to arrest him. The police are called and the camp becomes a powder keg of tension.

Mud makes a protective stand, trying to shield Dennis from arrest as the confrontation unfolds. Dennis tries to slip away but Mud’s loyalty buys him time. In the end, Dennis turns himself in, taking responsibility for what happened.

Mud confesses that the whole scheme was his idea and explains how the money was meant to fund everyone’s fun. He uses the rest of the money to settle Dennis’s debt with Polk, securing Polk’s retirement with a clean record. The other kids also step forward to share responsibility, and the parents decide not to press charges.

Dennis ends up with a light penalty and the kids go home after the summer. Mud is mostly punished by his parents for orchestrating the scheme, but they cannot deny the experience was the greatest summer of their lives. The memory of their rule-free adventure lingers long after the camp closes.