It's 1936, the height of the Great Depression. Life is not easy for anyone. For Bud Caldwell, it's been especially tough. He's lived in an orphanage and two foster homes since he was six. Now he's ten, and a caseworker is sending him to his third home. This one will be his last.
As he leaves the orphanage, Bud has no tears left for crying. What he does have is a tattered suitcase that contains his most valuable possessions: a picture of his dead momma, a bag of rocks, and the flyer for a jazz band—Herman E. Calloway and the Dusky Devastators. Bud believes that Herman E. Calloway is his father. And starting today, he's going to look for him.
From hopping onto trains to stealing cars, Bud is setting off on a journey that will change his life and his future. Although he experiences cruelty, he also finds great kindness in the train stations, missions, libraries, and shantytowns he visits along the way.
Will Bud every find his father? What shocking family secret will he discover? And will he ever have a real home? Come along on the remarkable journey of a courageous boy who doesn't give up hope as he searches for the only family he has left.