It is the true story about a 34-year-old Buffalo, NY, firefighter who rushed into a burning apartment building, searching the attic for victims. The roof collapsed and he was trapped for six minutes without oxygen before his fellow firefighters were able to free him. He survived but only in a non-responsive state.

His wife Linda never gave up searching for a cure even as medical experts ruled out any chance of a recovery. She raised their four sons. Doctors tried a drug that would normally treat attention deficit or Parkinson's disease, and nine years after he fell into a vegetative state, Donny Herbert awoke. He spent the day reuniting his children and his wife. It was short-lived: After 15 hours, he became unresponsive again, and died a year later.