The film begins in the childhood of the protagonists. Stephen, the older of the two, instigates various acts of dishonesty, while younger brother Bloom is content to play along with whatever lies his brother promotes. They were transferred from one house to another because they repeatedly got in trouble.
Eventually, the brothers were transferred to a close-knit town with friendly children their age. Bloom longs for the comfort of a normal and honest social life, and develops a crush on one of the girls there. Stephen, realizing he can use his brother's interest in these children, manipulates him to befriend them and execute their first big con. Stephen has Bloom convince a large group of his new friends that a mysterious old man told him of a cave that contains a magical creature, and that the old man will reveal the location if they produce 30 dollars.
