Eight year old James knows how difficult life can be. The child of a single mother, he's had to move frequently, always the new kid in the class, and in the town. Finally, he and his mother are able to leave apartment living behind and move into an old house in central California. The first day, while sweeping out the barn, he meets the girl next door. They become fast friends, and she introduces him to his school and to other boys and girls. His life changes though, when she takes him walking down the creek and stops by a shack built under a bridge. "That's Tom's house," she says. "Let's go see if he's home."