An ambitious farmer Henry Whipple (Dennis Quaid) discusses with his 20-year-old son Dean (Zac Efron) about the art of sales. Dean is reluctant to be as ruthless as his father as they offer condolences and also unscrupulously attempt to purchase land during a family funeral. After returning home, Henry rolls out the red carpet for his eldest son Grant, who has left the farm and mentions returning via a postcard, but it appears that he’s unlikely to return. As the story progresses, we see that Henry Whipple is having an affair with Meredith Crown (Heather Graham), his ex-girlfriend from high school, and his ongoing selfish decisions will continue to derail his future. He has created enemies within the genetically modified (GMO) seed-selling business including Jim Johnson (Clancy Brown) — his main competitor — and fails to help those that have helped him by buying cheaper illegal “cleaned“ seeds in his search for more money and land.
During yet another local racing competition which he wins, Dean’s aggressive driving causes the crash of Jim Johnson’s son, Brad. They fight after the race, further fueling the feud between Henry and Jim. Racing scouts give Dean an opportunity to race at a professional level. He needs $15,000 to compete and his mother Irene (Kim) supplies it.
