Jack Crockett is 12 years old when he is taken to Memphis to live with his uncle, his only relative. He is put to work on a car lot in the company of two men, one friendly and one not. After several months, his uncle abruptly pulls up stakes and moves to Nashville, taking Jack with him. There, Jack experiences family life and discovers the game of basketball. These two circumstances give direction to his life, and he rises, in due time, from obscurity to fame. What happens then is the story that everyone remembers--in one way or another.