Hello Beautiful opens with an account of the early days of William Waters’s life. He is born in February of 1960 to a successful accountant and his wife, but the trajectory of his life changes when, only days after his birth, his three-year-old sister, Caroline, dies. The loss of Caroline makes William’s parents pull away from him emotionally because they associate him with that event. William navigates a very lonely childhood until one day, when he is 10 years old, he is invited to join some boys in a basketball game at the park. Soon his gym teacher notices his talent for basketball and begins encouraging this passion.

In high school, William continues pursuing basketball and starts for the varsity team. Halfway through high school, he has a major growth spurt and grows to 6’7”. During a game in his sophomore year, William falls and fractures his kneecap. While the doctor reassures him that he will make a full recovery, William has a difficult time being sidelined with an injury; without basketball, he feels that his life lacks purpose, and he begins to contemplate death.

After graduating, William leaves for Northwestern University in Chicago on a basketball scholarship.