Blynn Lehman, one of nine children living in 1917 Pasadena, California, faces a year full of challenges: His older brother announces that he has received a draft notice from the Army; and his father informs the family that pay cuts and the economic struggles of the time compels them to tighten their belts and do what they can to make it through their present financial struggles. As Blynn watches his older siblings start working and saving, he decides to lead the younger kids in an attempt to help the family survive.