In this story set during the 1930s, brothers Bubba and Scooter are waiting for their father to be released from prison. Twelve-year-old Bubba can`t wait to be reunited with the father he idolized, and five-year-old Scooter is looking forward to getting to know a man he`s never really met. However, when the boy`s father, Jed, does return home, things are not as idyllic as the boys imagined. First Jed has a hard time fitting back into the community, especially after he befriends two African-American farmers who live nearby. Meanwhile, the boys are also having difficulties with their classmates, who are teasing them for being the sons of a jailbird.