John's life is one marked by obstacles. Even his parents, before he was born, were faced with the obstacle of overcoming their different religious backgrounds Roman Catholic and Conservative Judaism to get married and start a life. In school, John longs to pursue his passion for swimming, but his parents think his dream is silly and wish he would focus more on getting better grades and less time on some Olympic medal pipe dream. When a significant injury threatens his swimming career, John must decide to give up his goals or keep moving forward, defying everyone's expectations of what he can accomplish.