The time is the early 1950s, and the story is told from the point of view of the Kid, 10-year-old Ben Osborne who lives with his lovely mother Julia and whose dad didn't come back from World War II.

Watching over Ben's paradise is Jake Trumper, nominally the Osborne's hired hand but actually fulfilling his promise to Ben's late father to take care of the two if he died in combat. Now a loner, there are hints of past personal pain in Jake, shadows of lost love, land and family of his own.

The action is set in the fictional small town of Crocus, Saskatchewan. Crocus is a town almost small enough to fit in your TV room. It's got a grain tower, a store and room for a colourful cast of local characters.