Ten years after he pitched his fifth perfect game in high school, Cliff Walker decides to take his own life. He wakes up three days later in the Westwood Lodge Psychiatric Hospital.After a month of intensive therapy, Cliff's psychiatrist , Dr. Pervis Singer diagnoses that Cliff is suffering from depression and agoraphobia. The doctor tells him he has to get out of his house at least once a day or once a night.Cliff begins running Moakley Park in South Boston every night after midnight with a stocking hat, head phones and sun glasses. As his mileage goes up, his times come down. When Cliff finally tells his best friend Jumbo what he is doing, Jumbo says, "With those times you could actually win the Boston Marathon."For the next eight months Cliff trains for the Boston Marathon. Can he even run in the day? How does he qualify for Boston if he decides to run? Can anyone beat the Kenyans?You'll never forget an athlete named Cliff Walker, his friends from South Boston, or the Boston Marathon.