Matt Harding is a boy in trouble on the journey of a lifetime. When a judge orders him to live with grandparents he's never known in a sleepy, farm town, his only plans are for escape. When he arrives at the farm, he begins to face the reality of his father's tragic death in Vietnam... and his own anger. Shunned by the townspeople, Matt runs up against the school's best athlete. But one day Matt finds he has a special gift... he was born to be a track star. With the gentle, but firm hand of his grandfather, the two spend hours everyday training. What Matt learns from his grandfather is much more than winning a race. It is competing in life and the words, "Run every race like it's your last race" would carry him far beyond the finish line.