Joey Johnson, an eleven-year-old boy going on twenty, shares the main character role with his young mother Beth. Joey is very much alone in the world; his only companionship comes from his dog Ben. The Johnsons are outcasts in their small nowhere town and Joey has no idea why. His mother is distant and can barely manage to keep their small farm alive. Joey wants to know what happened to his father and wonders why Beth never talks of him; she always seems to be somewhere else in time. When Joey starts skipping school and napping under the old oak tree, strange events start to transpire. Joey dreams of his fatheras life and sees him as a boy his own age. Throughout the dreams he sees the person his father really was, and the distance of time cannot stand between them. The dreams are able to lead Joey and Beth to a treasure that is sure to bring them a new life.