Tess and Monica arrive in Park City, Utah as the World Cup Qualifier Ski race is about to begin.  As Tess and Monica watch over two of the contestants, Jett Rudin and Will Heller, Tess explains that the two boys have been friends for their entire life but that their friendship is about to change. Although both boys are competitive, Will has never beaten Jett.  Jett is the center of attention, even to Will’s father who taught both of them to ski.  Monica approaches Jett for an interview, the angle of which would be the friendship of Jett and Will.

Meanwhile, Will’s father, Howard is more interested in securing an endorsement deal for Jett than in his own son. When Monica interviews Will, his jealousy rises and he tells her there will be a new “top dog” on the mountain the following day.  At the qualifying round the next day, Jett sets a new record and warns Will about a dangerous curve on the course.  Fueled by his desire to finally beat Jett, Will ignores Jett’s advice, skids around the curve and loses his place on the World Cup first team.

At the lodge later that night, Monica questions Will off the record.  Will then tells her the story of how Jett’s parents were killed in a fire when they were ten years old.  The two had been having a cigarette smoking competition in the basement of Jett’s house before they fled when his parents arrived home.  When Jett woke up the next morning after spending the night with Will, his parents were dead.  Will then gave Jett a red bandana he had wanted for winning the smoking competition and resigned himself to never beat Jett at anything again.  Jett enters, having overheard the story, and denies that Will ever let him win anything.  The two argue and decide to settle the issue by racing down the mountain as the sun comes up.  As the boys race, Jett loses control and tumbles down the mountain.  When Jett regains consciousness, it is apparent that his spinal cord has been damaged and that he may never walk again.

Howard scolds Will when he learns they were racing. “You have never beaten Jett at anything… Why would you start now?”  Will then goes back to the mountain, finds the red bandana that Jett lost during his accident and returns it to Jett. Jett now remembers the argument and asks Will to help kill himself.  Will says he’ll have to think about it, but as he exits, he takes pills off of an unguarded tray and ducks into another hospital room where Monica is waiting for him.  Monica reveals herself to be an angel, and asks Will to pray… and to not hold back any longer, not from his gift of skiing nor from his friendship with Jett.  Will then goes to his father and tells him how he had let Jett win until he thought he was losing his father.  Howard tells him he’s proud of him and that he could never lose him.

Will then returns to Jett, refuses to help him die and tells him about Monica being an angel. When Jett rebukes him, Will tells him he loves him and leaves the room.  Andrew then reveals to Jett, telling him that he has a death wish because he feels responsible for his parents’ death.  When Andrew tells him he should protect his friendship with Will, Jett gives him the red bandana and asks him to give it to Will.  Will puts on his friend’s bandana and wins the World Cup Giant Slalom as Jett watches proudly from his hospital bed.