It's 1933 in the Dust Bowl of the Oklahoma panhandle and a decision made in desperation ends up affecting more than the two children it was meant to save. Sometimes, desperation makes choices for you.When thirteen-year-old Sammy wakes to find he is now an orphan, he vows never to go to the state home and be separated from the last of his family, his seven-year-old sister Birdie. Holding on to the pretense that their parents are still alive, Sammy and Birdie learn the art of lying and the terrible burden it carries. Fighting the elements and finding enough food to keep the hunger away, he discovers a strength he never knew he owned along with a mighty big dose of fear. Sammy is at a time in his life where he needs a guiding hand, but instead, is shoved into the world of adults, a world he struggles to navigate.A mangy stray dog, a cantankerous old woman, and the general store owner, become the lifeline the children need to survive, and brings Sammy to the realization that a good heart is sometimes disguised. When a drifter enters their lives and terrorizes them with threats to take all that they have, even their life, a hard reality of good and evil sets Sammy into a soul searching reason to continue the lies or give up.