Hounded

Jay Martin, a 13-year-old at Columbus Hall, competes for the only Peterson Academy scholarship. He plans to study art and has prepared a presentation to impress the judges. If he loses, he faces transfer to Starkwell Military Academy where his older brother Mike attends.

Ward, the headmaster, confiscates Jay's notecards because they include drawings depicting him as a wolf in disguise. He hides the cards away in his office, setting up a later temptation for Ronny to copy. Jay's preparation hangs in the balance as the contest approaches.

With the notecards accessible, Ronny copies Jay's presentation and wins the scholarship at the ceremony. The ploy relies on Ward's leniency and the crowd's belief in Ronny's earned merit. Jay's efforts to compete fairly are overshadowed by the plagiarism.

After the ceremony, Jay confronts Ward about the theft, and Ward claims he will look into it. However, Jay overhears Ward telling Ronny to dispose of any evidence of the plagiarism. The seed of distrust is planted, and Jay resolves to prove the truth.

During the award ceremony, Jay sneaks into Ronny's pool house to recover his notes and prove the theft. The break-in is risky, and he barely avoids getting caught by the Van Dusens' staff. He hopes the recovered material will convince the judges of the truth.

Camille, Eliza's show dog, discovers Jay leaving the pool house and follows him to the Martins' home. The maid reports seeing a disguised boy, and the family jumps to the conclusion that Camille has been kidnapped. The tension mounts as the dog disappears.

Camille goes into a nervous breakdown and wrecks the Martin home when she can't get her anti-anxiety medication. Jay spends hours trying to comfort the dog and restore order. The incident deepens the brothers' resolve to fix the situation.

Mike returns home to a chaotic scene and Camille's fragile state. Jay confesses what happened with the speech and the dog, and the brothers decide to work together to buy time to bring Camille back to normal.

Ward is pressed by his father-in-law Armand Columbus, who orders him to recover Camille or lose his job. Ward hesitates at first but ultimately agrees to efforts that will restore the dog's safety and his standing.

To appease Armand, Ward agrees to a series of bizarre acts to get Camille home and keep Armand from intervening further. The demands strain the family but push Ward to take action. Camille gradually calms while Jay and Mike grow closer.

Ward calls the police to monitor the boys' calls using a voice disguiser. Jay and Mike then devise a plan to frame Ronny for the dog's disappearance. The scheme hinges on creating a trail of evidence that implicates Ronny and exonerates Jay.

The plan works when Camille is found in Ronny's pool house, along with the voice changer used to frame Ronny. The discovery confirms the plagiarism and the kidnapping hoax as connected to the Van Dusens and Ward. The detectives also begin to see the pattern of nepotism at the school.

Armand confronts Ward and Ronny, recognizing the nepotism running through the administration. He notes that the apple doesn't fall very far from the tree, acknowledging that Ward has passed his bad behavior to his son. This realization marks a turning point in the investigation.

Armand returns from retirement to retake Columbus Hall as headmaster, demoting Ward to secretary. The Peterson scholarship is reopened and awarded to Jay, while Ronny is sent to Starkwell as punishment. Camille is revealed to be expecting puppies, and Eliza offers Jay one.

As Ronny trains at Starkwell, he discovers his instructor is Mike, who plans to discipline him more strictly than the other cadets. This twist sets up a different power dynamic for Ronny at the military academy.