A mid-major university with a struggling football program hits the jackpot when it attracts one of the top high school quarterbacks in the country, Todd Stevens. But the athletic bubble surrounding Todd begins to dissolve as injuries take a toll on his body and mind and he contemplates the future he wants with his beloved Diane King, a serious student and elite swimmer who sees all too clearly the inequities in college sports. Diane's willingness to speak out brings her in conflict with the athletic director of the university and leads to an altercation that will reverberate across the university and impact the lives of everyone touched by it, including the university president.

Athletic programs are often touted as the "front porch" of universities. In this gripping tale, Dan Howard portrays the blossoming relationship between two athletes as they negotiate the dark realities and outsized influence of college sports on an American university campus. Against the backdrop of the risks accepted by individuals and institutions to achieve excellence in the realm of college sports, a more universal story about vulnerability, uncertainty, and the power of love unfolds.