Ignatius, 11, lives on the family ranch in Oregon. He has grown up grounded in the family's strict Catholic faith, a deep sense of military honor, and a love for the land.
With his four older brothers in military boarding school or in the service, his Army dad on an extended tour of duty in Iraq, and his artist mom permanently AWOL in Italy, it is up to Ignatius, with the help of his aging grandparents, to keep the ranch going.
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Struggling with spiritual issues and concerned about his father's safety, Ignatius misses his brothers. Alone and angry, he soon realizes that he is meant to be neither a rancher nor a soldier.
Ignatius regrets his promise to keep the ranch going. It is nearly an impossible job for a grown man—to say nothing of a kid cowpoke. He finds himself doing things he never expected— stitching up a head wound, birthing a calf,
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