William Forrester won the Pulitzer four decades ago and then mysteriously disappeared. Jamal Wallace aspires to be a writer and his brilliance on and off the basketball court lands him into an elite Manhattan school. He sneaks into the house of a neighborhood grouch one day and accidentally leaves his writings behind. This sparks a beautiful relationship between Jamal and the grouch, who turns out to be Forrester. Forrester helps Jamal with his writing and guides him through tough times amidst the elitist crowd. Jamal, in turn, helps Forrester take himself out of the past and into the present.