Alternating between the ecstatic heights of hero-worship and the heart-breaking disappointment that each disclosure of his father's very human faults brings about, the boy finds solace in books, fantasy, and trains. As he grows into adulthood, he learns to appreciate the difficult circumstances that constrict his parents' lives and their ways of surmounting them.

In scenes both vigorous and tender, he experiences his father's willingness to sacrifice, materially as well as emotionally, in order to further his son's chances in life.