It is 1944, and life seems plenty serious. A world war is raging; many things once taken for granted are now in short supply; and in West Virginia fourteen-year-old Loni and ten-year-old Petey are trying to come to terms with their father's death and their personal fears. Spirited Loni -- having lost an eye in the same car accident that killed her father -- vows never to return to school. She'd rather be an artist Nor will she replace her eye patch with a less noticeable plastic eye. Instead, she will be "distinctive " "I don't care how I look. The Queen of Halloween, that's me." Funny and equally proud Petey is afraid of heights. But, come September, he has to be able to cross the trestle over the creek to get to school. "I was way too old to be needing Loni's hand." With the help of each other and Stone, an artist and shell-shocked veteran fighting his own private demons, Loni and Petey learn to cope with their fears. "We're all born with something we'd like to change. All we can do is keep trying."