Molly McKay is a profoundly autistic twenty-something woman who has lived in an institution from a young age following her parents’ death in a car accident. When the institution must close due budget cuts, Molly is left in the charge of her neurotypical, older brother, Buck McKay, an advertising executive and perennial bachelor. Buck allows her to undergo an experimental medical treatment, with unexpectedly drastic results.

Several players from different backgrounds try to cope with the pressures of playing football at a major university. Each deals with the pressure differently, some turn to drinking, others to drugs, and some to studying.