The Cure

Wooton Bassett is back in Alaska, visiting the small town of Willow where he lived during his middle school years. After leaving a very long voicemail for his friend Penny back in Odyssey, he wanders into Boyle's Diner, one of the few places still standing from his childhood, though it now has a new owner named Marty McFlynn and a plain hot-dog menu instead of Wooton's beloved anchovy stew. There he bumps into Will Baccarin, a man who looks strangely familiar. It turns out Will was the bully who used to pin Wooton down in junior high and play drum solos on his forehead. But Will has changed. He apologizes sincerely, and the two sit down to catch up. Wooton admits he learned something from those painful days, especially how to pray for his enemies, and Will confesses that even back then he admired Wooton, who seemed to have a peace nobody else had.

While they talk, Wooton notices that Logan, the young worker at the diner, always looks sad. Will explains that many kids in Alaska struggle with deep depression, and that Logan's mother left six months ago without a word. Before leaving, Will quietly presses a mint-condition Silver Eagle coin into Logan's hand. "It's a gift. To remind you that you're a gift," he tells the astonished boy.

That afternoon Wooton visits the starting line of the Iditarod, the famous 1,100-mile sled dog race. While recording a video for Penny, he tries to greet Lewis Scott, the champion who has won the race three years running. Scott is cold and suspicious, and when Logan walks up and calls him Dad, Wooton is stunned to learn the gruff musher is Logan's father. Scott accuses Wooton of spying for a rival team and orders him to stay away from his son. Wooton sadly notes that Scott reminds him of his own father.

That evening, over wild blueberry pie at Will's house, Will shares his story. His childhood was so painful that there were times he wished he had never been born, but his grandmother prayed for him and sang him songs about the Creator's love. Years later, after a girl he cared about saw through his empty church attendance and walked away, one of his grandmother's songs came on the radio, and he could almost hear her voice saying, "Willie, I'm still praying for you." He pulled over, wept, and gave his heart to Jesus. Now Will leads a ministry called Carry the Cure. Just as dog sled teams once raced life-saving serum to Nome during the diphtheria outbreak of 1925, the run that inspired the Iditarod, Will's team travels the same trail during the race, holding events in village schools and carrying a different kind of medicine: the hope of Jesus for kids drowning in despair, kids just like Logan. When a phone call brings news that his teammate Kevin is too sick to make the trip, Will asks Wooton to take his place hauling gear, connecting with kids, and singing with the band. Wooton happily agrees, and Will calls him an answer to prayer.

The next morning, as the race begins, Wooton discovers that one of the ministry's pilots is his old friend Jeff, who flies for several ministries and loves soaring over Alaska's volcanoes and glaciers. Marty from the diner pilots the plane carrying most of the equipment, while Jeff flies Will and Wooton. Before takeoff, Wooton sees Logan try once more to talk with his father, only to be brushed aside; Will explains that ever since Logan's mother disappeared, his dad has coped by drinking and obsessing over winning the race.

The planes head toward Nome with a storm developing. Then Marty's voice crackles over the radio: he has found a stowaway aboard his overloaded plane. It's Logan, who believes his mother is in one of the villages along the trail and is determined to find her, certain his father won't even care that he's gone. Before anyone can decide what to do, the weather turns fierce. Marty, struggling to control his heavy plane, reroutes to slip between two storms before they merge into a supercell, while Jeff pushes straight into the weather to follow. As the plane lurches through the turbulence, Will asks Wooton if he's okay, and Wooton can only answer, "Define okay."