Growing up, John always felt like he was smart, but his grades were terrible; he failed the first grade, and started feeling like he wasn't as good as the other kids. After years of constantly feeling beaten down by the school system, he gave up and stopped caring, eventually he dropped out of high school.

Before he dropped out, he signed up for a cooking class, and his teacher recommended him for a kitchen job at a local hotel. While there, he saw an ice sculptor carving a block of ice and was completely mesmerized; the sculptor took John under his wing and started teaching him the art....