Wes Neal has a need for speed—specifically, astride his trusty motorcycle. And what better way to scratch that itch than to race?

Unfortunately, that line of thinking lands him in hot water. Wes, a soldier, takes part in an illegal race on his military base. When the police arrive to break things up, Wes flees. In the ensuing chase, he’s arrested, but not before causing a crash that injures some of the officers.

Wes spends the next six months in prison. He’s kicked out of the military, stripped of any benefits he had earned, and is released back to civilian life. A counselor offers to help him get back on his feet—maybe get him a job in construction. But Wes isn’t interested in that. His main concern?

“When can I get my bike back?” he asks the counselor.

He gets his bike back. And so, with nothing but his motorcycle and the clothes on his back, Wes heads south. He’s heard his father is down that way—racing motorcycles. Exactly what Wes wants to do.

But there’s a complication. Wes doesn’t actually know his father. His dad, Dean, left Wes’ mother (since passed) before Wes was born, clearly not interested in the whole fatherhood thing.

Still, Wes is out of options. If he’s ever going to get into the (legitimate) racing world, Dean is his best bet.

But will Dean even want anything to do with him? Wes doesn’t know. And when they meet, Dean isn’t so sure either. Eventually, though, Dean agrees to take Wes under his wing, training him to race.

“The faster I go,” Wes says, “the calmer I feel.”

“So you just need to keep going faster,” Dean replies.

But Wes starts to feel that slowing down a bit could be a good thing. And that the path that his dad took (and is still on) might not be a road he wants to travel.