Two protagonists, a boy from a dairy farm in the midwest and the other a girl from the west coast of California, lead vastly different lives during the turbulent years of the Great Depression and the subsequent wars. Their separate journeys throughout their lives shape their characters as they survive the drastic changes occurring about them within their immediate families and with the world. From the time their stories begin in 1936, to the end of the book, we see these two children emerge into adulthood, shaped by everything that is going on around them, not knowing the other existed until a chance meeting has them meet and merge with the new-found maturity and appreciation for life. The book runs the gamut of all emotions - through tragedy, loss, joy, innocence, longing, desires, and finally a true, mature love.