The year is 1942. As the Allies unite overseas to keep the world safe for democracy, there are voices at home that are barely heard. One of them belongs to Willie Morris (FRANKIE MUNIZ), a shy and gawky eight-year-old whose childhood is even more quiet and isolated than his home town of Yazoo, Mississippi. An only child, ignored at school and uncomfortable with girls, Willie looks up to and confides in next-door neighbor Dink Jenkins (LUKE WILSON), the town’s star athlete, who’s preparing to ship out in the service of Uncle Sam.

Willie’s father, Jack Morris (KEVIN BACON), a stern but good-hearted veteran who lost his leg in the Spanish Civil War, is chiefly responsible for Willie’s overprotective upbringing. Pushing in the other direction is his mother, Ellen Morris (DIANE LANE), a capable woman who knows that what Willie needs most is some freedom…and a friend. Willie’s ninth birthday gives her an opportunity to offer him both, in the form of a Jack Russell terrier puppy that the delighted Willie names Skip.