Mixed methods longitudinal studies continue to be rare, yet have potential for transcending the limits of qualitative and quantitative paradigms. This article compares the life stories of 47 young people generated from a cohort study of 6000 children born in 1995. The cases were sampled through an association between two variables--drug use and leaving school early--generating a four-field table. Comparing the cases within and across each table cells, we question the 'black box' logic that underpins the assumption that cannabis smoking is consequential for educational success. Moving into a qualitative paradigm we reconceptualise the cases as butterflies captured in a net and work deductively to understand the species captured. Culminating with an analysis of a single case over time, we argue that narrative approaches are the starting point for understanding subsequent social action, providing a basis for larger scale quantitative modeling.