Irresponsible and lazy to a fault, Lou Hanske is nevertheless possessed of a quiet charisma and earnest desire to "do the right thing." Raised by an average family in Iowa, Lou should be a study in normalcy and mediocrity. However, as most of his friends have observed, there is something extraordinary about him, something important, something unexplainable – and it’s not just that stain on his shirt.
Lou had managed to dodge adult responsibilities until recently by staying enrolled in college and changing his major more often than he changes his socks (about every other day). Unfortunately, the college dean grew tired of Lou’s "meandering academic proclivities," and sent him packing. Lou’s long time girlfriend, Rachel, reacted to this news by giving Lou the old heave-ho herself. Suddenly uprooted and unattached, Lou has moved into a cheap apartment with octogenarian Zebulon Kirk and taken a job washing beakers at his best friend Donna’s lab.
Lou feels like he’s hit bottom, but things are about to get a whole lot worse. There’s the satellite that crushes his car, the bear attack, the hospital bills, and, oh yes, all that business about him being "The Chosen One"…