Frank McCourt and Jamie Luskin met in 1971, while both were freshman at Georgetown University. During their courtship, Jamie went on to earn a law degree from University of Maryland, and an MBA from MIT. The couple finally married in 1979. Over the course of the next thirty years, the McCourts pursued and invested in a variety of high-risk ventures, at times enjoying extravagant wealth. In more trying times, however, the McCourts found themselves on the brink of financial ruin.