In a small middle-America town in 1936, a mysterious Lecturer gathers a roomful of parents for an assembly and declares he has come to warn them about the evils of marijuana. The Lecturer, Alan Cumming, threads a grim cautionary tale titled "Tell Your Children," weaving in sharp political points and a confident, sometimes patronizing rhythm as he explains how the “demon weed” could ruin the youth. His narration blurs the line between moral alarm and theatrical performance, guiding the audience through a story that sounds like a warning and a sermon all at once.
Jimmy Harper, Christian Campbell, and Mary Lane, Kristen Bell, are a bright, carefree young couple who radiate the simple joy of first love. They share laughs and plans, oblivious to the danger simmering just outside their circle. Across town, Mae Coleman, Ana Gasteyer, endures a painful home life under the thumb of her abusive boyfriend, Jack Stone, Steven Weber, a streetwise troublemaker who supplies drugs to Mae and others. The two worlds feel separate at first, a quiet hometown romance juxtaposed with a rougher, seedier side of town.
The youth’s hangout is Miss Poppy’s Five and Dime, where the mood shifts from innocent chatter to a darker undercurrent under the watchful eye of Miss Poppy, Neve Campbell. One evening, Jack arrives with a new plan to lure Jimmy into the Reefer Den, bringing Ralph Wiley, John Kassir—a college dropout who becomes entangled in the gang’s schemes—and Sally, Amy Spanger—a neighborhood prostitute who gets pulled into the night’s temptations.
Jimmy is taken to the Reefer Den, where the pressures of the group mount and he’s urged to take his first joint. The moment collapses into a fever dream: a wild, bacchanal sequence that unfolds as Jimmy Takes a Hit / The Orgy. The addict’s grip tightens quickly, and he drifts away from Mary, who prays at home in a lonely pew for his safety and return. The intensity deepens as a vision rushes in: a church heist, a moment of guilt, and a Vegas-style Heaven where Jesus appears to offer a stark choice.
> Listen to Jesus, Jimmy
Jimmy’s reluctance to change his path drags him deeper into danger, and his relationship with Mary strains under the weight of temptation and fear. The pair share a fateful moment on a joyride in Mary’s stolen Packard; they’re buzzed, they collide with tragedy, and Jimmy is left to grapple with how to protect the person he loves while facing the consequences of his choices. He ultimately tells Mary that he must leave town for her safety, a decision that weighs heavily on both of them.
Back at the Reefer Den, Jack drags Jimmy back into the bad company with a pot brownie, injecting a cartoonish, hallucinatory layer into the story. Mary follows Jimmy to the Den, where Ralph—still a menacing presence—tries to manipulate her by suggesting Jimmy has joined a “fraternity.” They celebrate with another smoke, a moment that twists Mary into a darker role as she asserts herself with unsettling aggression toward Ralph. The scene intensifies into a brutal struggle, and Jack intervenes, knocking Jimmy unconscious and accidentally shooting Mary. He frames Jimmy for the crime, leaving Jimmy to bear the weight of the tragedy.
Mary’s death becomes a haunting turning point. Jimmy, now separated from the life he loved, is swept up by the authorities, and Ralph’s guilt-ridden mind spirals into a nightmarish series of visions. Ralph imagines Jimmy as a ghost, Mary as Satan’s ally, and the other children as the restless dead. In a cruel twist, Ralph himself descends into madness, ultimately killing Sally in a frenzy before Jack shoots Ralph to stop him. Mae, witnessing the catastrophe she’s caught in, realizes the error of her ways and pleads with Jack to abandon the violence; he refuses, and Mae seizes the moment to strike back, bludgeoning him to death with a garden hoe and reclaiming a powerful sense of agency.
Mae’s defiant act becomes a spark for a broader push for justice. She pleads with the visiting President about Jimmy’s case, and through a remarkable turn, Jimmy earns a presidential pardon. The tale shifts toward a symbolic resonance: Jimmy, Mae, the President, and the trio of Ralph, Jack, and Sally—reincarnated as Uncle Sam, George Washington, and Lady Liberty, respectively—join in a dramatic pledge that ridicules fear and champions freedom, law, and national identity. The film culminates as Jimmy burns down the Reefer Den’s weed garden, freeing Mary from the grip of Hell and Satan, and the vision of redemption broadens to a chorus of national pride.
The ending brings the whole audience into the frame as the anti-reefer message becomes a collective commitment. Mary ascends to Heaven, welcomed by Jesus and other holy souls, while the Lecturer—still theatrically calculating every bias—drives away, pleased that his performance has shaped the crowd’s beliefs. The scene resolves with a sweeping finale: a massive, almost ritual book burning that cements the film’s unapologetic stance against marijuana, sensationalism, and a broad spectrum of social fears. The work closes on a note of moral caution and public spectacle, inviting viewers to question the limits of persuasion while recognizing the power of a well-told, morally charged tale.
