Joel is thrust back 20 years into the past, where his first order of business is to survive algebra class and keep from being humiliated in the student council election.

Tired of not having money, Joel decides to get a job by selling paper. Something his future self used to do.

Joel makes desperate attempts to call his father's attention on his wedding anniversary and try to make him give his mother more attention, because the man who broke up their marriage and later married his mom is just starting to put moves on her. He makes a romantic dinner for his parents with old home movies from their engagement party and makes his father invade her private ceramic lesson to stop anything from happening between his wife and the teacher, but all he finds is an unfinished cigar holder she was making him. Joel saved his parents marriage, but can he explain why he was hanging out in a bar with his sister after she made fake IDs for them?

Joel decides he is not going to let turning 15 get in the way of celebrating what should be his 35th birthday, and cuts school with his friends Pat and Isabelle.