Esme, a single mother, moves to a new town with her ten year old son Luna to start over after her husband's death. However, some of the locals are hostile to them, and it soon becomes clear that the pair have a major secret.
Tropes:
- Abuse Mistake: The police naturally believe Esme is abusing Luna after they find him in their basement inside of a cage. Her insistence on him being dangerous and demand he be locked up in a cell after they get into the police station only make her look worse. She's actually doing it to protect them from Luna, whom she dearly loves but is a werewolf and the full moon's near.
- Bittersweet Ending: It's implied Esme and Luna will have to move again, but what matters is that they're safe for now, and it's clear Luna won't hurt Esme.
- Cassandra Truth: The police chief doesn't believe Esme when she insists Luna is dangerous and must be locked up in a cell while they're inside the police station, thinking she's a depraved abusive mother. As the full moon rises, Luna turns into a wolf and slaughters all of the police.
- Disappeared Dad: Luna's father is dead when the story begins, and only appears in flashbacks. It's revealed he'd been killed by Esme after getting loose and transforming into a wolf, attacking her.
- Gender-Blender Name: Luna, a boy, has a name that's usually used for girls.
- In the Blood: Luna becomes a werewolf because his father was one as well.
- Meaningful Name: Luna, whose name derives from Latin for "moon", is a werewolf.
- Monster Delay: Luna's wolf form isn't fully seen until the climax.
- Offing the Offspring: When Luna gets loose in the police station while in his wolf form and corners his mom Esme she holds a gun and aims it at him, but begs Luna not to make her use it. At first it seems like she'll have to or be ripped apart, but then Luna does recognize her even as a wolf and refrains, relieving Esme.
- Our Werewolves Are Different: The episode is a rare modern instance of a werewolf that looks exactly like a real wolf - and is played by one. It's also a hereditary affliction, not requiring that the victim be bitten, as Luna inherited it from his father.
- Police Are Useless: The local police continually harass Esme throughout the film, culminating in an illegal search of her home that results in them unleashing a werewolf on themselves.
- Struggling Single Mother: After her husband's death and Esme quitting law, she's shown having a very hard time providing for herself along with Luna, her son. She has a low-paying job as a server in a bar that won't cut it. Toward the latter half of the story she's shown counting her money, then sighing as she realizes it's not enough. Due to Luna being a werewolf, they have to move frequently and assume new identities any time it's exposed, which means that her law career disappeared.
- Surprise Pregnancy: Esme got pregnant unexpectedly when she and Joseph hadn't known each other very long. She wanted to keep the baby however. Joseph was hesitant because of his heritage, clearly worried that their baby would be the same (which he was), but they married anyway.
- What If the Baby Is Like Me: After learning Esme was pregnant, Joseph (as a werewolf), ruefully said she had to know something, clearly indicating the fact he's a werewolf. They got married and had Luna, who did indeed end up a werewolf like his father.
- Working-Class Werewolves: Esme and Luna are in dire financial straits due to having to uproot (and assume new identities) any time Luna’s werewolf status or activities are exposed, with Esme’s prospects of a stable career shot. She had to quit practicing law as a result, and works at menial jobs like a server in a bar.
