Jackass director Jeff Tremaine chronicles the story of Nick Piantanida, a truck driver and exotic pet dealer from New Jersey who dedicated his life to setting an extreme parachuting record. With no formal training, no college degree, and barely enough money to support his wife and three young children, he set out to take a balloon to the edge of space and jump out. If he succeeded, he'd set a world record in a free fall back to earth for nearly 17 minutes. A force of nature, Piantanida's willpower, charisma and delusions of grandeur would get him into space and make him a true American hero, but lead him to a tragic end.