After their dog, Gonker, disappeared along the Appalachian Trail, the Marshall family began a frantic search spurred on by the fact that Gonker would die from Addison's disease if he was not found within 23 days. When the local paper in Waynesboro, Virginia wrote a small story about the family's search, the story hit the AP newswire and tips poured in from across the country. The Marshalls came to realize they may not survive losing Gonker, even as their crisis brought them closer together.