Walter White (Bryan Cranston) leads a mundane life as a high school chemistry teacher, living with his wife, Skyler (Anna Gunn) and his son, Walter Jr. (RJ Mitte), who has cerebral palsy. His life is complicated when he is diagnosed with stage-three terminal lung cancer. Walter decides to enter the illegal drug trade to develop a sufficient inheritance for his family before he succumbs to his cancer. He uses his chemistry knowledge to cook a remarkably potent methamphetamine (crystal meth) with one of his former students, Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul).