It's 1966, Christmas Day, the Missouri Ozarks. Johnny Bell, not quite sixteen, is found in a snowdrift by a poor farm family named Ogletree. It seems he's an orphan, but like many a Dickens character Johnny does have a heritage, part of which is an instinct for hard work. He learns the value of friendship from a dairy goat named La, a shrewd old "hillbilly" named Virgil, and a humble ex-con named Clyde. He learns about religion from a well-meaning...