[1] The story follows a high school senior named Ben Wolf, who is given one year to live after being diagnosed with a rare, incurable blood disease Ben Wolf is an 18-year-old high school student from Trout, Idaho.

He lives with his father, his mother, who is mentally ill, and his younger brother, Cody, who is a superb football player and attends the same high school as him.

Doctor Wagner gives him only about a year to live and recommends that Ben seek treatment in a more urban part of the state.

As sports season begins, Ben decides to go out for football rather than doing cross country, which he has done consistently during his past high school years.

In addition to trying out for football, Ben stirs controversy and debate every day in his government class to fight against his conservative, narrow-minded teacher.