When Charlie’s family is transferred to western Pennsylvania, his dad decides to rent a small farm so that they can experience a rural, pastoral life. Almost immediately, Charlie meets and befriends Toby, who lives down the road. But Toby doesn’t live on a farm; he lives in a startlingly poor shanty. Toby, however, is a doer and a problem solver, and he introduces Charlie to activities that are both fun and fascinating but that also help to provide for Toby’s dependent family.

Toby doesn’t go to school, but he’s surprisingly self-educated, and his interesting ideas and easy-going manner quickly lead him to become Charlie’s closest companion. Together the boys have a series of adventures, some of which they plan for and some of which they don’t. But in every situation, Toby has a solution, and the more Charlie learns about his new friend’s difficult life circumstances, the more impressive Toby becomes.

And then one day everything changes, and Charlie is left to wonder about his one-of-a-kind friend. After all, there’s nobody like Toby.