Dustin Upshaw is living an aimless, uninspiring existence. His frequent brushes with the law finally lead him to an impossible choice and the result is that he becomes guardian to a dementia patient living in a nursing home. Realizing that it's time for him to try to get his life in order, Dustin gets a job and takes seriously his guardianship of Claude. But his strides to become a productive member of society come to a sudden halt when Claude dies and, within days, Dustin loses his job.
With nothing holding him in place, Dustin sets off on a cross-country trip to find a new town to call home. Before he leaves, though, Claude's ashes are delivered to him in an urn that becomes his traveling companion. Together, they head south to start their adventure. Over the next several months, they spend time in cities and towns across the country, meeting residents of those places, as well as other travelers. In their first stop in Georgia, Dustin meets Willow, a waitress with higher aspirations, and they form a friendship. He calls on her for guidance and support periodically along the way before deciding to return to Georgia and stay with her. But will Willow be interested in Dustin's plan?
Dustin finally begins to realize that his future is dependent on his, and not on anyone else's, decisions. After exploring his own motivation and abilities, he forms a fresh plan and, newly confident, takes his first steps into his future.
Chasing Home is the story of one man's journey to find his passion, as he discovers along the way surprising parallels between his life and that of a man with whom he thought he had nothing in common.
