This is a story of a young man that is left at home to help his mother run the family farm in Missouri when his father and Grandfather go off to fight in the Civil War. Growing up in North East Missouri during the closing years of the Civil War, young Otis Willoughby finds himself trying to sort through the confusing issues that surround him. Amidst the hatred, deceit, mistrust, and corruption in the world around him he finds love, compassion, trust, and family pride. Along the way he becomes a man. Guided on his journey by a man with uncommon wisdom, a good understanding of human nature, and a lifetime of experience. His grandfather Nathaniel Franklin, a man called Pap.