The sun rises over a misty mountain on an early summer morning. The trees whisper as the wind rattles the leaves, and the forest life is waking up to another day of hunting, gathering, and building. Among them is a small pod of tents, resting in a clearing with a swimming pool and a couple of small buildings not too far away. One of these tents is starting to move, and the zipper that is used for the door is being unzipped. Out steps a boy, looking not too much older than a junior in any old high school. He stretches, cracking his back from the long night's sleep on the forest floor, then yawns and heads toward one of the buildings, the grass making a surprisingly loud crunch despite the dew. This building houses the restrooms, and here he will wash his face and get ready for the day. Soon, other boys emerge, following his lead to the bathrooms. Each one steps out at a different time, but they're all headed to the same place, the mess hall. Inside smells of breakfast are wafting up to the ceiling and out the door as soon as it's opened. There are long tables with wooden seats to rest on. The first boy grabs a plate and heaps it full of steaming food, then goes down to sit with his friends. Everyone seems to be here, from his count, except for one person. He shrugs and digs into his food thinking, "he must still be asleep". However, he's wrong, for the door opens and in walks one of the most famous POWs to come out of WW2.
Louie Zamperini came out of the war alive, but he was not excluded from mental breakdowns because of what he endured. As Louie is ravaged by memories of the Bird and the constant physical stress he was put under, he turns to drinking to numb those memories. In the process, he almost kills his wife, who at that point couldn't wait for a divorce to come. However, one day she hears that Billy Graham, an evangelist speaker, has come to town. She goes to hear him, and there she meets God. In her quest to get Louie to come with her, his drinking increases. One night, Louie hears something from Graham that will change his life forever, turning him toward God. That night, he pours out his alcohol and becomes a changed man. After a few years financial struggles, Louie creates a camp up in the mountains for delinquents who have been given up on by everyone else. The camp is called the Victory Boys Camp. Here they will fish, swim, watch movies, and do many other camping activities, but the one thing that really changes them around is the talks from Louie.