Connor Castaway and Drummer Washington are two talented wrestlers and friends who are seniors at First Landing High School in Virginia Beach. They struggle with various challenges off the mat, as well as the stress of wrestling for a highly competitive coach, known to all as “Coach Wild,” who also happens to be Drummer’s father. Both boys live in one-parent homes: Connor’s father died the previous summer, and Drummer’s mother left the family home some time ago.As they train, the teens must also negotiate the social pressures of high school life. The toll of injuries on their bodies is significant, and they use opiates for pain management; they also have troubled relationships with girls, adding to their problems. One of the story’s most intriguing secondary players is the loathsome and privileged Jorby, who threatens Isla, Connor’s love interest.Cunningham effectively assembles a cast of flawed characters doing their best (or their worst) in an engaging story of people striving for different kinds of success. The adults in the boys’ lives are dealing with problems of their own, including addiction, career difficulties, loneliness, and infidelity. Assistant Coach Scarr is shown to be reeling from a demotion from his head coach position, while his wife is frustrated by his obsession with the sport and his inability to appreciate her own goals. “Coach Wild” is driven by a frenetic need to win at all costs, while Connor’s mother is lonely and just trying to cope. The work also stresses how the boys’ dads had both enjoyed success as young wrestlers, and how the weight of expectation rests heavily on their sons.