Twelve-year-old Littlejim, a bookish boy living in a rural North Carolina community in the early years of the twentieth century, hopes to win a newspaper essay contest and thus gain the respect of his stern father.
In 1920 in the mountains of western North Carolina, fourteen-year-old Jim Houston sees his hopes of continuing his education fade when his mother becomes seriously ill and his logger father must deal with the underhanded dealings of outside businessmen.
Ruthie and her mother wonder how they will fulfill their obligation of getting the perfect Christmas tree to the town for the holiday celebration, since Papa has left the Appalachian area to go to war.
