Marlin, an almost twelve year old boy is orphaned when his mother dies of cancer. He is forced to run for his life, from his ax wielding step father. He walks through rain and cold without so much as a shirt to keep him warm. In the dark of the night, he finds a wet refridgerator box, his only shelter from the cold rain.
He arrives very cold and half starved at the door of Weston Cox, a man who has recently been released from prison. He is given cold beans and a hard dry biscuit, but is thankful for it. His only hope is to find a place where he can prove his worth and be appreciated. Mr. Cox is destitute and cannot offer him a home, so he takes to the road again. He is kidnapped by three predators and taken to an abandoned house, but turns to the God of his mother and miraculously escapes just in time.