Nineteen-year-old Joe Spring's driver's license is reinstated after it had been suspended for reckless driving. Immediately after he is informed, he begs his parents - Teresa and Tim Spring - to let him drive from their home in Aldergrove, BC to Quesnel, BC to attend a Saturday night party. His parents reluctantly agree. Joe decides to leave Friday after work, driving overnight, and promises to call them as soon as he arrives the next morning. That telephone call never happens.