This Boy's Life is a true-life coming-of-age story about '50s teenager Tobias Wolff (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his mother, Caroline (Ellen Barkin). After travelling around the country in an effort to avoid Caroline's abusive boyfriend, the mother and son settle in Washington state, where she marries a man named Dwight Hansen (Robert DeNiro), who appears to be a good husband and father. However, Dwight reveals himself as an abusive man shortly after the marriage; in particular, he verbally harasses and physically beats the young Tobias. By the end of the film, Tobias has to confront his stepfather. This Boy's Life is based on the autobiographical book of the same name by the real Tobias Wolff.