Abandoned by his family, Kirk is thrust into a murderous white-collar-crime scheme. Only fourteen years old, Kirk is forced to grow up fast as he discovers that his hometown's most respected elders have been involved in war-time fraud and will kill anyone who gets in the way. Set in 1945 rural Oklahoma, Kirk quickly realized that he is alone in more ways than one. In an era long before civil rights, Kirk blatantly comes to know the war between the races, learning to accept what he cannot understand. As the threat to Kirk's life draws nearer, however, his rescue comes from the most unlikely of places. Skeet, one of the town's most respected elders, causes much disruption among the townspeople by hiring a black young man, Kirk to work in his pharmacy. Even Kirk is in disbelief, but as the story unfolds, Skeet's desire to truly help his fellow man comes shining through.