The novel’s protagonist, Mark, is a 12-year-old boy with a sickness that won’t go away. Mark has battled cancer intermittently since age five. Before receiving the most recent bad news, Mark’s family hoped his cancer days were behind them. After the doctor’s latest call, Mark makes an impulsive decision: He will run away and climb a mountain. Mark’s fiercely independent spirit drives him forward through hunger, splitting headaches, physical beatings, and legal obstacles. He is determined to make choices for himself and achieve goals by his own wits and strength. However, when others attempt to help him along the way, his independence contorts into anger. While he regularly recognizes that his anger derives from resenting others’ pity—his whole journey serves to prove that he can accomplish something by his own devices—his anger also roots in the injustice of his situation. He doesn’t actually hate the people who try to help him; he hates the fact that he needs help, and an act of nature outside his control (cancer) leaves him with no choice but to accept that help for most of his life. A major theme in Mark’s journey centers on discerning when others’ assistance uplifts him and when he can appropriately exert some independence over his life.