It is the 1930s, in the midst of the Great Depression, and ten-year-old Charlie Whitman is about to become a chore boy. He will work and live on a neighboring family's farm while his family will receive a small amount of money each week for his work.

Charlie is a bit homesick and misses living with his brothers and father, although he's glad to be away from his stepmother, stepbrother, and three young sisters. As he gets used to his new duties with the MacDuncans and follows their instructions carefully, he grows to love all the animals on the farm, especially one small calf who...