An adolescent boy and his mother are sent to live in New Mexico after his father goes off to fight World War II. The move is hard on both mother and son. The boy, one of the few whites in the area, must deal with making friends, the strange new land, and first love. Meanwhile, his mother becomes increasingly withdrawn. When they learn that his father has been killed, the son must fight with his mother's lover to become the real head of the household.—GusF