Neal Austin has a burning desire for success, wealth, and significance. In relentless pursuit of his goal he is scarcely conscious of missing the happy lightning that occurs along the way. Just before his twenty-ninth birthday he meets a girl who is determined to teach him how to look for sunshine when it is raining, and rain when the sun cooks down. Struck by sudden and staggering tragedy, Neal begins to release hold on his dreams, but in doing so finds a far greater reason to experience happy lightning and to find significance through love.