Mel Jensen is new to the Titans basketball squad, and he's a good player who could be a valuable asset to the team. But he might as well be sitting on the bench since Caskie Bennett, the team's star player and Mel's new neighbour, refuses to pass to him. In fact, Caskie seems intent on ignoring and insulting several of his teammates on-and off- the court. Even as Mel struggles to understand this hostility, he realizes that responding to Caskie's prejudice with anger won't help the situation. Therefore, when Coach Thorpe benches Caskie indefinitely for lashing out at another teammate, Mel speaks up on his behalf. But it isn't until after a bone-chilling fall through thin ice unites Mel and Caskie in a daring rescue that the coldness between the two boys thaws. .