 John Sr. manages to eke out a living for his family by operating a lumber mill with his sons' help as they grow older.The family income is augmented by some small-scale farming, and John occasionally hunts to put meat on the table.In the simpler days of their country youth, all of the children are rambunctious and curious, but as times grow tough, the children slowly depart from the innocent, carefree days of walking everywhere barefoot while clad in overalls and hand-sewn pinafores, and into the harsh, demanding world of adulthood and responsibility.