In 1945, in Florida, ten-year-old Birdie Boyer and her family struggle to make their new farm prosper despite heat, droughts, cold snaps, and rowdy neighbors.

A boy and his grandpa hope to strike oil in drought-ridden Oklahoma. It's hot in Oklahoma. There's no wind, the wells are dry, and the ground is dead. Orvie's family is doing everything they can to keep their farm going. If they miss a payment on the mortgage, the bank will take their home away, and they'll have nowhere else to go. Farming is tough, honest work, and it's no way to get rich. For years, Orvie's grandfather has sworn that there's oil...