Chuck Radke was raised in Fresno, California, in a neighborhood situated within a vast fig orchard and bordered by the Santa Fe Railroad. His father called the area Stuccoville.

Just a month before Chuck turns eight, his father drives off in their Buick Skyhawk to start a new life with a thinner, prettier woman. The young boy and his chronically ill mother, whose body is ravaged by lupus, are left to redefine their family as they face the world together.

Twelve-year-old Chuck hosts Tupperware parties to raise extra money. He administers his mother's assortment of medications when she's in too much pain to do it herself. He learns to make meals out of whatever is available, even if it's only tomatoes, mayonnaise and bread.

Remarkably, Chuck's mother defies the medical establishment's expectations for survival. Her courage and determination shape the character of her only child.

Despite medical and financial struggles, mother and son find hope and connection in ways as momentous as surviving a near-fatal motorcycle accident and as minor as baseball and small, hypoallergenic dogs.