It's early May in 1956 in the small South Alabama town of Farmington, and eleven year old Bobby Crosby's life is about to change forever. He's still anguishing over the death of his father even though it's been five years, and he's come to despise the life centered around his mother's cafe, a place that turns into the revelrous hot spot of the community when the sun goes down.
Bobby escapes his real world by sitting every night in the local movie theater, third row left down front. There, alone in the dark, he leaves Farmington far behind and melts into the world of the silver screen. Bobby's best friend is Hucker Nolan, a twenty-two year old drop-out from the swamps across the tracks who drives a taxicab in the daytime and works concession at the movie theater at night. Now, Bobby's world seems to be collapsing and there's nothing he can do to stop it; his mother has a boyfriend Bobby desperately resents and his feelings for Hucker are confusing and ever changing, often filled with anger and jealousy Bobby doesn't understand. Then, the worst thing possible happens to Bobby— he's betrayed by the person he trusts the most.