The story begins at Stratford University's freshman orientation, led by Darl Witherspoon, an economics major who juggles multiple jobs to pay for tuition. As he gives campus tours, he also delivers mail and works in Food Services. During a tour, he makes a quick stop to deliver a parcel to Dr. We at the neurospsychology department while on the phone with his mother. She expresses her struggles, mentioning threats to turn off her gas supply, which prompts Darl to offer to pay her bill of $223 despite teasing her about her cooking.