As an army brat starting at yet another school, all Thomas wants is to fit in. When he meets jackie (Gemma Ward) life starts looking a little brighter. But then his pregnant mother (Toni Collette) is bedridden and his father (Erik Thomson) puts him in charge of his autistic brother Charlie. As Charlie's unusual antics increase, Thomas's pent up frustrations about his brother starts to pour out. Funny, confronting and heart-warming, The Black Balloon is a story about fitting in, discovering love and accepting your family.