Jake is a college student and veteran who blames himself for his girlfriend's death in a vehicle accident even though he is not only at fault that was nothing he could have done to prevent it. Plagued with guilt, he turns to heavy drinking so he can sleep and avoid the recurring dream of the accident. Kate is a theoretical physics grad student who, while brilliant in the lab, has slow self-esteem and a poor image of herself because she was raised by an abusive father who preached that women were only good for taking care of their husbands and having children. He thought education was wasted on them and they should be subservient to men, as her mother was to him. When the two meet they former a bond that help them both to heal and to be able to love themselves and someone else.