Jackson Reed is a computer geek and a big-time gamer nerd, and he is great at both, but he feels underpaid and unappreciated at work, and outside of his dragon-slaying virtual reality, he is depressed, lonely, and questioning his purpose. After a mishap on his bus ride home from work, Jackson must exit ten blocks from his regular stop. On the walk to his apartment, he witnesses a twelve-year-old boy, Cooper Dansbury, in the schoolyard getting picked on by three boys. As he remembers his own struggles with bullying, fear overcomes him, forcing him to leave and ignore the incident. Later, he comes across the same boys repeating their behavior, but this time, he intercedes. This chance interaction sets off a chain of events that will change all their lives forever.