It is in the Eastern part of Tennessee this story begins, in the small town of Johnson City, located one hundred miles northeast of Knoxville-a lovely city nestled in among lush green mountains. The year is 1954, population 23,000. Johnson City is a town that has flourished, from its beginning. It is rich in history, but this is not a story of history. This story centers on the strife and hardships of one dirt-poor Southern family and one little girl's will to survive, survive not only as a child but long after. Her name is Callie James, and Callie tells the story.

It is in the Eastern part of Tennessee this story begins, in the small town of Johnson City, located one hundred miles northeast of Knoxville-a lovely city nestled in among lush green mountains. The year is 1954, population 23,000. Johnson City is a town that has flourished, from its beginning. It is rich in history, but this is not a story of history. This story centers on the strife and hardships of one dirt-poor Southern family and one little girl's will to survive, survive not only as a child but long after. Her name is Callie James, and Callie tells the story.