Eighteen-year-old Glade Elliott stands among a group of men, gazing up at a daunting sight, a narrow pole, planted in the ground shooting straight up into the sky. The gruff superintendent in charge holds up a set of 'climbers' and a belt. 'Who's first?' he asks. After watching several men awkwardly attempt to climb the pole and struggle to get back down, Glade accepts the challenge. With youthful agility and swiftness, he gallops up to the top of the pole and carefully climbs back down. Little does Glade realize that this skillful display will change the course of his young life.