Houston, sophomore year: Steve is on top of the world. He and his friends are the talk of the school. He's in love with a terrific girl. He can even deal with "the astronaut"--a world-famous hero who happens to be his father.

San Diego, senior year: Steve is bummed out, drugged out, flunking out. A no-nonsense counselor says he can graduate if he writes a 100-page paper. So Steve starts writing, and as the paper becomes more and more personal, he reveals how a National Merit Scholar has become an under-achieving stoner. And in telling how he got to where he is, Steve discovers how to get to where he wants to be.