In 1961 children were supposed to be seen and not heard. The word of a priest, teacher or police officer was never questioned against the word of a child. Thirteen-year-old Matt Kronchek is stymied by this system when he becomes exposed to an adult world of police corruption, religious hypocrisy, racial prejudice and suspicious deaths. His only confidant is the physically and emotionally scarred Korean War veteran Detective David Lipscomb from the State Police undercover unit. As Matt tries to pound the truth out of the small town of Bellington, his path sets him on a deadly collision course with a desperate man. With Lipscomb's help, he begins to learn about love, life, and the horrors of war. His old life will never return as he discovers that the truth lies in a shade of gray.