Former football coach Buster Schuler, who left town following a tragedy during a championship game in 1988, has returned for one last chance to lead the Crusaders to glory. But he soon discovers the challenge is overwhelming. Outmanned and outsized, the Crusaders enter a make-or-break season, and other lives are caught up in their quest:

• Cal Sawyer, who tells the story and who is desperately trying to save his company as he raises a teenage daughter on his own. Hand-picked as Buster's assistant, he discovers things about himself that will change his life.
• Elvis Jackson, gifted athlete, who sees Athens City as his last hope--only to find that his most difficult test lies far from the playing field.
• Rachel Sawyer, Cal's daughter, who becomes an example of faith to the entire town.
• Bev Raschke, Cal's assistant, who fights a personal battle that reveals more about her, and Cal, than they ever dreamed.