Based on the Mark Jude Poirier ("Smart People") novel of the same title, the coming of age story follows 15 year-old, Ellis (Phillips) as he moves from Wendy, his flakey, new age mother's (Farmiga) South-Western home to an East Coast prep school where his estranged father Frank (Burrell) was once a star student. For Ellis, this means leaving behind the only real dad he has ever known, Goat Man (Duchovny), his pot-smoking, goat herding mentor, and ultimately needing to evaluate his new prep school lifestyle that's in stark contrast to his stoner upbringing. Rounding out the cast are Keri Russell as Frank's new wife, Minnie Driver as Wendy's best friend and yogic advisor Johanna, and Will Arnett as Wendy's boyfriend Bennett.