Not far from an ancient tower, believed to have been built by the patriarch Jacob for his cherished wife, on the outer edge of Bethlehem, lives an industrious Jewish family of eight. Busily raising their five children, managing their prolific farm and a growing flock of sheep and goats, Amon and Jedidah have recruited everyone in the household to assist in the relentless inventory of chores. Grandfather Elijah is the shepherd and has been enlisted to train the children in the required pastoral skills, which he does with finesse and compassion. The oldest son, Josiah, is the first to venture forth with his grandfather and live as a nomad in the wilderness of the Judean hill country in order to care for his family's herd. The young boy not only becomes acquainted with the skills of a shepherd and the ever present enemies of the flock, but learns of an ancient prophesy foretold in Grandfather Elijah's most prized possession; a very special, handwritten manuscript on old sheepskin parchment.