January 1950 - A small boy, his brother, and his father abandon their car in a blizzard near Albuquerque, New Mexico. Evening approaches and he fears being left behind. As they push on towards a distant highway, they hear a vehicle behind them. It stops and the driver offers a lift. They climb in and he returns them to the motel where his mother anxiously awaits them. The experience leaves a deep impression on the boy that stays with him into old age.

January 1960 - Now a junior in high school, the young man struggles to fit in. He's attracted to several girls but is too shy to ask them out. Instead, he concentrates on his after-school jobs. His church and membership in Explorer Scouts remind him of obligations when he really wants to enjoy greater independence. He reaches a critical turning point when his French language teacher persuades him to apply for a summer student exchange program. Still struggling to define his identity, he applies and hopes to be accepted. After failing a major French exam he doubts his chances. His teacher offers him a make-up exam, but first he must write an essay about the exchange program and why he would like to live with a host family in another country.

He meets this challenge and is accepted but not in France. An exchange of letters with the son of a host family in Germany heightens his desire to escape his hum-drum suburban life and set out on a great adventure. Using his own money, he buys a ticket on a transcontinental bus and heads for Montreal to board a ship for Europe. Along the way he meets several interesting passengers.

He embarks with hundreds of other young Americans from across the country on a ten-day Atlantic crossing. The young man soon realizes that he is on a much grander voyage to see a more interesting world than he had ever imagined in his home town. Reaching port in Holland, he and the others board trains for destinations across Europe. He anticipates that the summer will be a turning point in his life.