THE RANKINS OF PRATT COUNTY In 1982, teenager Russell Rankin is viewed as smart and mature beyond his years until an impulsive and faulty decision brought on by a family crisis lands him in police custody. While lodged in juvenile detention, Russell is impacted by unexpected personal loss. As part of the Juvenile Court's disposition, he agrees to temporarily relocate from the urban Midwest to a small town nestled in North Carolina's Blue Ridge Mountains. A highly religious widowed grandmother takes Russell into her care, and during the early months of his stay, family tragedy strikes again that further tests Russell's resiliency. Russell's interim family and adoptive community rally to his aide. During his ongoing transition, a first love evolves as he learns to trust and willingly embrace his new surroundings.
Eventually, he thrives as both student and athlete. Upon high school graduation, college and career intervene out of state. Seizing an employment opportunity in his early-forties, Russell returns to Pratt County to work and raise his young family where he faces surprisingly unresolved issues, which further test his character and integrity.