It's 1983. Alex Andrews is an athletically and intellectually gifted college freshman, who has enjoyed a life of wealth and accolades. He attends The University of Alabama, where his father is a football legend, as well as having been one of Hall of Fame Coach Bear Bryant's favorites. From his earliest memories, Alex has been treated like Bama royalty, the heir apparent to his father's outstanding football legacy. To top it off, a beautiful young woman has fallen madly in love with him. Most young men would kill for his life, yet he may not live to be a sophomore. Discarding his naturally happy and positive personality, he begins a descent into a world of alcohol, pain, casual sex, and unabated anger. Along the way, he is unwillingly paired with a depressed professor, who has many of his own issues. All they seem to share are their many personal losses and mutual disregard for each other. They travel together on a journey of pain, joy, and personal discovery, in hopes of becoming who they used to be.