Rural southern America in the 1950s, a great time for a boy to grow up. Joey, eleven years old, begins the summer of '51 with a new best friend, Tommy, the new kid next door. Tommy is thirteen, with a down-to-earth country attitude, and wise to the ways of the world with much for Joey to learn.

Boys that age could roam, explore, and experiment with their environments without supervision and with the only curfew being, get home in time for supper.

Wander along with Tommy and Joey who, left to their own devices, get into one scrape after another, pushing the limits, exasperating their parents, and confounding the neighborhood. Sometimes hilarious, other times sad, always thought-provoking, these stories remind us of times we thought were simpler, easier, and better for all to live. But were they really?