A young boy from a poor city family vows to make a country home for his mother and sister and travels to Big Creek to find work. He befriends other pickers, learns the rhythms and hardships of rural labor, and faces a threatening antagonist in the woods. By showing persistence and cleverness he uncovers a lost ring whose discovery brings an unexpected turn, and his actions help set a plan in motion that may secure the family’s longed-for rural life.