Plot: The story of a relationship between a teacher and his troubled pupil. Justin McLeod is a former teacher who lives as a recluse on the edge of town. His face is disfigured from an automobile accident and fire ten years before in which a boy was incinerated and for which he was convicted of involuntary manslaughter. He is also suspected of being a pedophile. He is befriended by Chuck, igniting the town's suspicion and hostility. McLeod instills in his protégé a love of justice and freedom from prejudice which sustains Chuck beyond the end of the film.
Alternative Plot: Young Chuck Norstadt (Nick Stahl) wants nothing more than to join a prestigious military academy like his late father, but he is wary of the school's lofty academic standards. With only a single summer in which to study for the entrance exam, Chuck finds an unlikely tutor in the form of Justin McLeod (Mel Gibson), a disfigured recluse who was once a teacher. McLeod agrees to teach Chuck, and the two form a deep friendship -- until Chuck learns of the secret behind McLeod's terrible scars.
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