Idaho Winter begins as the story of a boy with an extraordinarily painful existence. He is, through no fault of his own, loathed by everyone in the town where he lives. He meets Madison, the first person to ever show him empathy. When he learns that he is a character in a novel, he breaks free and imprisons his author while remaking his fictional world as he sees fit. The author escapes and sets out with his supporting characters to find a way to bring his novel's mind and heart together on a perilous and paradoxical journey.