Based on the novel by Mark Schreiber, this dramatic feature follows the poignant, often humorous rite of passage of a shy, intelligent seventeen-year-old during three weeks at a summer retreat for children with cancer. Diagnosed as having a brain tumor, Ryan is angrily resigned to the fact that he may not live to see another year. With time running out, he clings to two goals: publishing his journal and losing his virginity. But as Ryan finds fresh strength from his new friends' optimism and defiant refusal to surrender to cancer, his perspective changes.