Sent to an all-boys prep school in California, Hadley Americas Hickman (a championship level wrestler form Georgia) finds little in common with those around him. Classmates, calling his "Hick" (as both an abbreviation and a derogatory slur), don't even remotely share in his passion for wrestling. As Coach Ball and his not-so-renowned squad of grapplers find Hadley's superior antics on the mat (aimed to attract and educate spectators) both embarrassing and demeaning, Hadley discovers Sam Crawford - to Hadley's mind, the greatest wrestler who ever lived (and a personal hero to emulate) - living in the area; but, what should be a lasting bright spot in Hadley's otherwise bleak emotional existence does not last long. With personal safety threatened by classmates, a sudden love interest going just as suddenly sour, rejection from an idol, and a beating by a town thug, Hadley, used and abused and left adrift, embarks on the path to the California wrestling championships - with no one quite ...