Josh Sundquist reaches the age of 25 without ever having had a girlfriend. His best friend Dan informs him that Charlotte, the girl Sundquist thought was his girlfriend, already has a boyfriend. Sundquist wonders whether being an amputee is the reason that girls reject him. He decides to investigate amongst the girls who have rejected him so that he can find out once and for all if the reason behind his lack of success is “an annoying habit or mannerism” or “some permanent physical characteristic or unalterable aspect of my personality” (4).

When Sundquist is in eighth grade, his crush, Sarah Stevens, confesses in a game of truth or dare that she does not like him. The truth or dare request happened in a van during a church youth group camping trip, thus humiliating Sundquist in front of 15 people.

The question Sarah answered came from Sundquist’s best friend Tony, the nine-year-old boy who remained his steadfast friend while he was undergoing cancer treatment. As a result of his cancer, Sundquist had to have his leg amputated from the hip. He wears a prosthetic leg for un-athletic activities to better fit in, but opts for crutches instead of the prosthetic for athletic ones because it is easier to run.