Timothy begins his court-ordered journal while living under house arrest for stealing a wallet.

Timothy explains in his journal that he stole the wallet to buy his infant brother Levi's monthly medication.

Timothy reveals that his father abandoned the family shortly after Levi's birth, leaving Annie to manage alone.

Levi catches Timothy's cold and is rushed to the hospital's Intensive Care Unit.

Mrs. Jimenez invites Timothy to stay with her family while Levi remains hospitalized.

Levi is discharged from the ICU and returns home to find Mrs. Jimenez has stocked the freezer with meals.

Timothy strikes a deal with Mrs. Bainbridge to use her computer in exchange for discussing his feelings.

Timothy and Isa discover Dr. Sawyer, a Cincinnati surgeon whose operation could fix Levi's trachea.

Timothy's request for more nursing help leads to Marisol being replaced by the verbally abusive nurse Mary.

Timothy punches a wall in anguish when Annie begins seriously considering placing Levi in a care facility.

Annie overhears Mary verbally abusing Levi and immediately fires her on the spot.

Timothy gives an unplanned speech at the Carnival of Giving after watching Levi experience the outside world.

A PTA representative delivers a check for over fifteen thousand dollars raised at the Carnival of Giving to Annie.

When the ambulance fails to arrive, Timothy steals Mr. Jimenez's car to rush a dying Levi to the hospital.

Timothy is placed in juvenile detention indefinitely but finds comfort knowing Levi will be going to Cincinnati to see Dr. Sawyer.

Timothy begins his court-ordered journal while under house arrest for stealing a wallet to pay for his brother Levi's medication, all while his father has already abandoned the family. Levi's illness worsens and lands him in the ICU, pushing Timothy into the Jimenez household where he briefly experiences normal family life. A search for solutions leads Timothy and Isa to discover Dr. Sawyer, a surgeon in Cincinnati, while a new abusive nurse drives the family toward crisis and threatens to break it apart. Timothy fights back through the Carnival of Giving, raises over fifteen thousand dollars, and forces the question of what family truly means. Just as hope arrives, Levi nearly dies, Timothy steals a car to save him, and ends up in juvenile detention knowing that everything he worked for has finally come together.

The key events that define Timothy's year under house arrest.

James warns Timothy that weak journal entries could result in him being sent back to juvenile detention.

Anonymous bags of groceries and supplies begin appearing on Timothy's front porch.

Marisol begins teaching Levi sign language, giving him his first means of expressing himself.

Levi nearly chokes to death on his first birthday while Timothy and Annie are laughing over a yogurt cake.

Timothy tells Mrs. Bainbridge that he and his mother need round-the-clock nursing care for Levi.

Annie agrees to tour the care facility proposed for Levi, devastating Timothy.

CPS agent Carla Ramirez arrives at the house during one of Levi's alarming choking episodes.

Timothy accuses Mrs. Bainbridge of calling CPS and throws her plant against the wall in a rage.

The CPS investigation is closed, but Timothy is ruled unable to be left unsupervised alone with Levi.

James takes Timothy to the batting cages to give him a healthy physical outlet for his frustration.

James and Mrs. Bainbridge arrange a birthday party for Timothy at James's office.

Annie sells the family home and moves Timothy and Levi into a smaller apartment.

Timothy overhears Annie telling his father on the phone that Timothy will not want to speak with him.

A classmate uses a slur to describe Levi and Timothy punches him, earning an in-school suspension.

Mr. Jimenez takes Timothy and José for a victory drive in the restored turtle car before the engine catches fire.

From James's early warnings about the journal to the anonymous care packages that lift Timothy's spirits, the story is filled with moments of unexpected kindness alongside crushing setbacks. Marisol's gift of sign language gives Levi his first voice, while CPS's involvement threatens to tear the family apart and force Annie into an impossible choice. James and Mrs. Bainbridge go far beyond their professional roles to support Timothy emotionally and practically, even throwing him a birthday party and taking him to the batting cages. A classmate's cruelty tests Timothy's hard-won self-control, and the family's home is sold as they prepare for a new chapter. The slow restoration of the Jimenez turtle car mirrors Timothy's own gradual repair across the year, culminating in a triumphant if short-lived victory drive.

The supporting moments and relationships that shaped Timothy's journey.

Timothy recalls being processed through juvenile detention before his house arrest and probation began.

Timothy stays at the Jimenez household for the first time and witnesses what normal family life looks like.

Timothy glimpses a red car driving away from his street and begins to suspect James of leaving the anonymous packages.

Timothy directly asks James whether he has been secretly leaving bags of food and supplies at the house.

Mary replaces the tracheotomy chains Marisol had installed with cloth ties, sparking Timothy's furious outburst.

Timothy composes his first email to Dr. Sawyer from Mrs. Bainbridge's computer, asking for help for Levi.

Levi signs the word 'music' for the first time while Timothy cares for him alone during Mary's sick day.

Mrs. Bainbridge tells Timothy she did not call CPS, strongly implying that Mary was responsible for the report.

Timothy uses caller ID to dial his father's number back and drops the phone in shock when his father answers.

Marisol returns to care for Levi on a part-time basis after Mary is fired.

Timothy and Annie spot James and Mrs. Bainbridge sharing ice cream on a date at the mall.

Mrs. Bainbridge arrives at Timothy's apartment door in the rain at night carrying Dr. Sawyer's long-awaited email reply.

Annie brings Levi to visit Timothy in juvenile detention and shows him the paperwork for Levi's trip to Cincinnati.

Levi covers his tracheotomy hole and says the first syllable of the word 'brother' during Annie's visit to Timothy in juvie.

Timothy receives a phone call from his father in juvenile detention and chooses to accept it.

Before the journal begins, Timothy is processed through juvenile detention, an experience that haunts but also motivates him across the entire year. Staying with the Jimenezes while Levi is hospitalized opens Timothy's eyes to what stable family life can feel like, and small revelations like identifying James as the source of the care packages mark quiet turning points. Mary's deliberate sabotage of Levi's comfort and the strong implication that she reported the family to CPS deepen Timothy's anger, while a series of small breakthroughs with Levi give him hope. An accidental phone call to his absent father brings buried grief to the surface, and Mrs. Bainbridge's late-night delivery of Dr. Sawyer's email response marks the story's emotional peak. The year closes with Levi saying his first word and Timothy making a final, meaningful choice to accept his father's call.