When 15 year old Charley and his father relocate (again), this time to Portland, Oregon, Charley hopes that this time they will be able to start over for real. Instead, his father takes up with a married secretary, leaving Charley alone for days at a time. He lands a job working with horses, but that doesn’t last long either- Charley’s dad is killed, so Charley runs away, taking the racehorse Lean on Pete with him. So begins a journey across the West, with the ultimate goal being a place for Charley to call home.