He never set out to change the world. He just refused to quit trying...

In the dust-bitten town of Larkson, Oklahoma, Zelven Holt spends his nights in a rusted-out barn, folding paper planes and crashing prototypes off rooftops. Everyone else thinks he's wasting time chasing a doomed idea. But Zelven isn't chasing success—he's chasing failure. Because he knows if he can understand what stops motion, he might just figure out how to overcome it.

They call him "Flight Risk." A joke. A warning. Maybe even a prophecy.

But Zelven doesn't fly alone.

At his side are Khai, the razor-witted realist who sees through his silences, and Rishi, the chaotic tech genius who wires dreams into action. Together, they aren't just building machines—they're building something that matters. Something they can't fully name yet. Something that wants to fly.

When one of Zelven's failures defies the rules of physics, everything shifts.

Now it's not just about proving them wrong. It's about what comes next—and how far three kids can go when no one tells them to stop.

Perfect for fans of Project Hail Mary, October Sky, and The Martian, this is a story of broken wings, impossible physics, and the kind of friendship that holds you up when everything else falls apart.