MARTIN CUNNINGHAM is a 13-year-old boy with a lot on his mind. He lives with his dad who is gone most of the time driving across the nation in an 18-wheeler. Martin's mother has disappeared and has been missing for six months. Nobody seems to know where she is or why she has disappeared. Martin worries about her constantly and looks forward to her coming home each day. He wants to talk to his dad about her, but his dad seems reluctant to say anything and always dismisses the topic.Martin encounters many challenges over the spring and summer, most of them involving his father, who is difficult to get along with and makes demands on Martin that Martin finds difficult to fulfill. He is anxious to please his father and show him what an extraordinary baseball player he is becoming, but his father doesn't appear to be very interested.Tragedy seems to dog Martin's every turn. However, he has many friends who care about him and with their help, he manages to cope with the many ups and downs in his life.