Lisa Spinelli, a devoted kindergarten teacher hailing from Staten Island, is grappling with a profound sense of dissatisfaction and yearning for fulfillment in her life. Although she enjoys a loving, yet markedly passionless marriage with her husband Grant, the bond with her teenage children, Josh and Lainie, is fraught with distance, leaving her feeling isolated. Seeking solace in her passion for poetry, Lisa diligently attends a weekly class led by Simon, where she finds her attempts at creativity largely dismissed as derivative and uninspired.
Amidst her struggles, Lisa becomes intrigued by one of her students, Jimmy, who frequently finds himself picked up late from school by his babysitter. One fateful day, she overhears Jimmy eloquently reciting a poem he crafted during his wait, and she is instantly captivated. In a moment of inspired clarity, Lisa decides to share Jimmy's poem in her poetry class, earning unexpected admiration and commendation for her talent from both her classmates and Simon.
Recognizing Jimmy's potential as a prodigy, Lisa eagerly takes on the role of nurturing his artistic gift, prompting her to enlist the help of Jimmy's babysitter, Becca, a part-time actress. She asks Becca to transcribe Jimmy's poems, but soon grows concerned that Becca is treating him like a child, impeding his growth as a poet. Undeterred, Lisa extends her support to Jimmy by providing her personal phone number, encouraging him to reach out whenever inspiration strikes.
As their bond deepens, Lisa meets Jimmy's father, Nikhil, to discuss his son's poetry. While Nikhil takes pride in Jimmy's intellectual gift, he emphasizes the importance of leading a normal, practical life, contrasting sharply with Lisa's romantic vision. In a bid to invest more time in Jimmy's development, Lisa persuades Nikhil to let go of Becca, volunteering to look after Jimmy after school—a proposition Nikhil gratefully accepts.
Tensions escalate when Lisa disregards Nikhil's request to take Jimmy to baseball practice and instead takes him to a poetry reading, where Jimmy's work receives an enthusiastic reception. However, Simon's disappointment in Lisa arises when he discovers that she misrepresented the authorship of the poetry to the class. As a consequence, he calls for her departure from the group.
As the evening unfolds and Lisa returns home late with Jimmy, she tucks him into bed on her couch. The following morning, Nikhil, infuriated over Lisa’s deception regarding the poetry reading and the delayed return home, informs her that he plans to transfer Jimmy to a different kindergarten. Distressed and determined, Lisa visits Jimmy’s home the next day and follows him to his new school, ultimately making the perilous decision to kidnap him.
They embark on a road trip to a motel near the northern beach, where Lisa reveals her audacious plan to escape across the Canadian border. Initially compliant with her ambitions, Jimmy's demeanor shifts when he fearfully calls 911 and reports his kidnapping while Lisa is occupied in the shower. In a desperate attempt to dissuade him, Lisa pleads with him to understand that the world will never truly appreciate his gift. Despite her emotional turmoil, she writes down the motel's address for him, sobbing quietly in the bathroom.
Ultimately, the police arrive at the motel, likely leading to Lisa's arrest, while Jimmy sits in the front seat of a squad car, his voice barely rising above the chaos as he insists, > "I have a poem," though his plea goes unheard amidst the unfolding drama.
