Catapulted into early adulthood after the death of an older brother he idolized, eight-year-old Matthew Kerney assumes difficult responsibilities to save the family ranch against a backdrop of the Great Depression and a drought-stricken Tularosa Basin.
In a post-apocalypse tale, a long-missing moon rock, a killing in a New Mexico canyon, a murderously ambitious scientist, and other factors contribute to the world's greatest scientific discovery.