There's an old adage that says, "the boy is father to the man." If that's true, then Keith Kovacek was fathered by two boys, himself and his identical twin, Kurt. The boys are about to graduate from high school as the story opens. Life in their small Oregon town is good and their place in the middle class is secure. The boys look eagerly forward to whatever the future has in store for them, confident of their ability to meet any contingency. Disaster strikes when Kurt is killed in an accident as he and his pregnant sweetheart are on their way to be married. Keith is unwilling for his brother's child to be aborted or born a bastard: Thus begins Keith's journey to manhood.