Mike Baker is a 22 year old University of Virginia graduate, who gets drafted in the 2nd round of the MLB draft to the Baltimore Orioles. In his 3rd career start for the Fredrick Keys (minor league affiliate) he is hit in the head, from a comebacker up the middle. He goes into a coma, but something spectacular happens. His REM Cycle that controls when you can dream isn’t cycling and remains on. In the real world Mike Bakers family and friends have to deal with the pain and suffering, worrying for Mike. However after being hit by the ball, Mike (in his REM Cycle) moves on with life. To him he just has a bruise on his head. The basis of the novel focuses on the difficulties the outside world faces adjusting to Mike’s condition, while in Mike’s world he is continuing to live his normal life. As Mike’s condition digresses in the real world, Mike begins to feel the repercussion’s in his dream. He develops bruises over his body and regularly gets increasingly worse nose bleeds. Mike in the dream hides the condition from the Baltimore Orioles organization and works his way up the system. Eventually Mike makes it into the MLB. Near the same time in the real world, his condition has gotten worse and he is now on life support. Mike’s dream since he was a little kid was to pitch against the New York Yankees. He gets his chance in his first major league start in New York Stadium. Mike pitches the game of his life and is near throwing a no hitter. Meanwhile in the real world, Mike has minutes left in his life. Life Support is struggling to keep him alive and his family decides to pull the plug. As Mike strikes out the last hitter, he completes his dream of throwing a no hitter against the Yankees. As his team runs out to celebrate with him, Mike feels a sharp pain in his heart. The plug has been pulled and Mike in the dream is dying. He is rushed to the hospital where he dies of a heart attack. Mikes family mourns him and has a funeral. At the funeral the play videos and pictures of Mike getting his first baseball bat, his first hit, his first homerun, and the day he was drafted. The audience sheds tears, commemorates Mike’s wonderful life, and buries him in his grave. The novel ends.