Sam lives on a pioneer homestead in rural Manitoba with his parents, Charlie the dog, and Katie the horse. While his parents are distracted caring for the land and animals, Sam becomes a free-roaming kid. There are dangers on the farm: the rushing river, farm equipment, and plenty of places to get lost. But Sam's friends Charlie the dog and Katie the horse look out for him, saving him from disaster more often than not.

As Sam ages, his responsibilities and independence increase too. Soon, he is travelling the long distance to his one-room school and fetching goods for the family in town all by himself. When a blinding blizzard swallows him up on the road home from school, Katie cannot see because of the snow sticking to her face but Charlie come to meet them and guides them home.

Sam Grows Up on a Homestead shows us what it was like for a pioneer family in the prairies-the lifestyle, the hardships, and the simplicity. With no running water, electricity, radios, or phones and children who sacrifice their schooling to labour on the family homesteads, Sam's world reminds us how much has changed in the last hundred years, and how generations evolve.