An abused and abandoned greyhound racing dog adopts a high school kid who runs track and field and two loser athletes make each other winners.
Story Synopsis Jimmy won so many trophies for his middle school track team that the high school Coach jumped him up to Varsity even though he was only in 9th grade. Every time he ran a race, both of his parents were always there to support him. But then, Jimmy's Dad lost his tech start up business and the family had extreme financial problems. Dad took any job he could get, which was a low paying job in tech support for a small community college. Mom had to go to work for the first time ever. Now, neither of them can come watch Jimmy run his races. Despondent over the family problems, Jimmy begins a losing streak.
Lightning used to be a winner, too - a pure-bred greyhound whose speed and agility is as rare as his breeding. Perhaps he came to understand the futility of chasing a mechanical rabbit he could never catch, or was merely miserable with his caged existence between races. Eventually, his owner figured he'd lost enough money on this loser. In the middle of the night, Lightning is abandoned in a park and left to fend for himself.
Fortunately, Lightning spots Jimmy running through the park and decides that it's a lot more fun to chase a boy than a mechanical rabbit. Jimmy and Lightning bond and their mutual love of running resurfaces.
When Dad sees that a dog followed Jimmy home, all that matters is the burden of another mouth to feed. Dad tells Jimmy that he can't keep the dog. But unwilling to let go of the strong bond that has quickly formed between these two runners, Jimmy takes matters into his own hands. Clandestinely, he cares for his new best friend and pays for dog food with the slim earnings from his part-time delivery job after school.
In every spare moment, Jimmy and Lightning run through the park and celebrate the pure joy of their sport. When the dog's former owner hears that Lightning is faster than ever, he is willing to do whatever it takes to get his property back. Jimmy and Lightning are in jeopardy at the same time that Jimmy's family problems are spiraling out of control. Can unconditional love conquer all of the challenges they face? Can these two loser athletes make each other winners again?