A mysterious albino teenager, Jeremy "Powder" Reed (Sean Patrick Flanery), is rescued from the basement in which he's lived since birth. But the extremely intelligent Reed is not welcomed into the community. Students at his school fear the outsider because of his bizarre ability to harness extrasensory perception and heal the sick. His relationship with a fellow student, Lindsey (Missy Crider), doesn't help matters either, despite the help of two teachers (Jeff Goldblum, Mary Steenburgen).