Based on the true story of a father and son who repair their fractured relationship during a forced hike of the Appalachian trail to find their beloved lost dog.
The film begins with a college student named Fielding adopting a dog, to get over his rejection from a girl. Fielding picks out a Labrador puppy, which he affectionately names Gonker. The two grow really close to each other, throughout the rest of his time at college. Gonker would often roam the college campus.
Unfortunately, once college is finished, Fielding doesn't know what he wants to do with his life, much to his fathers concern. To make matters worse, all of his friends have got jobs themselves. Fielding moves back in with his parents, John and Ginny. A few weeks after they arrive, Gonker is taken to the vets where he is diagnosed with Addisons disease and needs a vaccination every month to save his life.
One of Fieldings friends from college, Nate comes to visit him and they are walking Gonker in the woods, where he goes off chasing after a fox and disappears. Gonker doesn't return and the duo begin frantically searching for him, before rushing home and admitting that they lost Gonker. Ginny has flashbacks of her childhood with a puppy, Oji and how he was run over and her parents never really cared and tell her to not make a fuss over it.
Losing Gonker brings back all the pain and she calls all the newspapers, animal shelters, hospitals and puts up flyers all over the state, alerting people of Gonkers disappearance. The newspaper companies pick up on Gonkers story and everybody begins their search. Gonkers next shot is in 3 weeks time, so Fielding and John set out on a search up and down the state.
During the search, Fielding becomes ever more stressed and his health takes a turn for the worse, barely eating, only drinking water, not sleeping, getting weaker and weaker. The animal shelter calls about a dog they got with Addisons disease and they rush over, to find it is not Gonker. The pair continue on their search, but Firldings health is so bad that John turns around and heads back home.
When Fielding wakes up, he realises he is back at home, he rushes in and tries to tell his parents about his pain, but he is interrupted by another caller and this time it really is Gonker. Fielding and John bring Gonker home, which makes Fielding happier, but when he steps out of the car, he immediately faints.
Fielding is rushed over to the hospital where he has an emergency operation and it is revealed that he has ulcerative colitis. The film ends with Fielding and Gonker sat happily together on Fieldings hospital bed, reunited at long last.
