As World War II threatens the United States in 1941, fourteen-year-old Junior Bledsoe fights his own battles at home. Junior struggles with school and with anger at his father, his insufferable granddaddy, his neighbors, and himself as he desperately tries to understand himself and find his own aim in life. He finds relief in escaping to the quiet of the nearby woods and tinkering with cars, something he learned from his Pop, and a fatherly neighbor provides much-needed guidance.