Twelve-year-old Charlie is down on his luck: His sharecropper father just died and Cap'n Buck - the most fearsome man in Possum Moan, South Carolina - has come to collect a debt. Fearing for his life, Charlie strikes a deal with Cap'n Buck and agrees to track down some folks accused of stealing from the cap'n and his boss. It’s not too bad of a bargain for Charlie… until he comes face-to-face with the fugitives and discovers their true identities.

Torn between his guilty conscience and his survival instinct, Charlie needs to figure out his next move - and soon. It’s only a matter of time before Cap'n Buck catches on.