Acclaimed producer David Sutherland returns to rural America to tell an epic tale of two boys coming of age in Kentucky's Appalachian hills, documenting their struggles to overcome hardship and poverty and find meaning in their lives. It begins in the autumn of 1999, when Chris and Cody begin attending the David School, an alternative high school for troubled teens in David, Kentucky. Cody finds a new sense of belonging, not only in his home life with former step-grandmother, but through his heavy metal band, his faith in God, and his relationship with his girlfriend, whose parents become a second family for him. For Chris Johnson, the struggle to find his sense of purpose proves more intense and difficult. Chris is torn between his devotion to his family, his family responsibilities, and his desire to get an education despite his learning difficulties.