Troubled by memories too intense to forget, Zach Tyler strives to forget by making a difference for his new students. Implementing his proposal for an alternative high school, Zach brings together a classroom of drop-outs, druggies, and angry teens to give them another chance at earning a diploma. He soon discovers their issues are more complex than he imagined and that they need far more than a different environment. As he learns their stories, he questions if he wonders if he has the skills necessary to be successful and to help them overcome their obstacles. Worse, dealing with their traumas reignites his own. Faced with opposition from dubious administrators, and burdened with the need to maintain enough students, Zach decides to see a therapist. His therapist, Harley, is a wheelchair user who is also a Vietnam War vet. Their sessions, at first, seem pointless, as Zach is reluctant to open up about his experiences, afraid that the memories will destroy his ability to function as a husband, father, and teacher. He believes he can handle things, with a little help from medications. But as his students' share more about their lives, the pressure to stay on top of things increases, and his sense of well-being unravels. Zach seeks ways to encourage troubled Marlee, the bright, creative misfit, Cap, the awkward gang wannabe, Art, the nearly illiterate boy, and the others. When small successes fail to balance the big challenges, Zach begins to doubt if his big experiment will survive.