As Mason Howard points a gun at his face, Dr. Matt Conlon reflects that this is the second time someone has aimed a weapon at him. The first occurred when he was 22 years old. In flashback, Matt recalls being awakened by his roommate, Kurt Morton, who had a revolver and was mumbling about flunking out of medical school. Matt dismissively told him to go back to sleep. Kurt accused Matt of being indifferent to his honors grades and pointed the gun at Matt’s face. Two weeks later, Matt woke in a hospital, learning he had been shot in the head and that Kurt was dead.

The bullet shattered half of Matt’s skull, leaving him paralyzed on one side and dependent on a helmet to prevent injury. Though physical therapy restored some function and he received an artificial skull, his neuropsychologist convinced him that cognitive damage would prevent him from ever returning to surgery or medical practice.

Matt earned his doctorate in anatomy despite severe memory impairment, compensating through disability accommodations and intense studying.

A week before the school year began, Dr. Michael Hirsch called to warn Matt about an incoming student,