Matthew, a young boy who longs to be a stonehooker like his father and grandfather before him, is in for a dangerous adventure when his father relents and takes him out on one of the Hannah May's last harvesting expeditions.
After his father goes off to war during the summer of 1918, eleven-year-old Joe, along with his friends, contends with the town bullies and tries to figure out the meaning of courage.
When Joseph hears a lion's roar across the East African savannah, he disobeys his father by befriending the lion and his cubs, and tries to save the pride from the threat of traders who Joseph fears are aligned with his father.
Matthew believes that his dad is the strongest man in the world, but when a tornado destroys their farm, he discovers that nothing is stronger than his father's love.