Eleven-year-old farm boy, Walter Hacks is growing up in a small town in 1952. He lives a seemingly idyllic life on the farm with his Dad and his brother Cliff. Days are full of chores before and after school of milking cows and, in the summer, haying the fields. His life takes a sudden and tragic turn just before school lets out for the summer and Walter learns to grow up faster than he should have to. The summer of 1952 is a hard one for Walter and his brother but his love of western movies and his cowboy heroes keeps his imagination alive. His talent for working on farm equipment comes in handy for making extra money and takes him on adventures where he meets the many interesting neighbors in his seemingly quiet hometown.

   Walter's sidekick, Margaret, is part of some of these adventures and is the one friend that allows Walter to still 'be a kid' even though his life, and a secret he and his brother keep in order to stay together, pull him toward adulthood before his time.

   The boys seem to hold it all together but things begin to unravel, including their relationship, just before summer ends. When the truth comes out everyone is shocked, especially Walter. And the truth, and the consequences, set Walter on a new path where he will test his new-found adult hood, but without ever letting go of his imagination.