Braxton Hickman is required to write his autobiography for his senior English project. What he reveals during his childhood in 1960s eastern North Carolina is a revelation of a secret he has kept for five years, a revelation that is poignant and shocking. He explains how he had to come to terms with an event that changed his life forever.

Raymond Viverette is a retired English teacher who grew up in the South. Many of the events in the book are based on actual events he experienced.