Nick Albright is having a difficult time adjusting to the changes in his family.  His dad’s business is going under, his parents are splitting up, and on top of that it looks like there may not even be a Thanksgiving.  It is all of this and Nick’s curiosity that lead him to make a terrible decision.  After an attempt at family counseling with Monica, a failed reunion between his parents, and the constant babysitting of Gloria, Nick plans to sneak out.  He wants to find the peace, love, unity, and respect that is missing from his home life, at a Thanksgiving Rave called Heaven’s Portal.

Gloria is not about to let him go, but as she can’t seem to stop him, she decides to come along instead.  At the rave, they meet Celestine and Grover, a couple of ravers who tell them about how “we’re all family”.  Inside, they dance to the techno beat and are offered ecstasy, a drug that will bring them closer to God.  Nick is eager to try it, and Gloria is intrigued with the idea of “prayer in pill form”.  Having both taken the pills, their high starts out well, but soon they are freaking out.  When Monica and Jessica arrive looking for them, the juvenile and angel delinquents run.  They get into Nick’s car and speed away.

Eventually they’re cornered at a cliff overlooking the sunrise.  Nick decides that he wants to drive off the edge, but Gloria pushes him out of the car at the last minute.  As Gloria plummets to what Nick believes to be her death, Monica reveals herself to Nick and his parents.  She says that Gloria is fine.  She also tells them that the secret of a strong family is the simple act of loving and believing in each other.