Simon Hirsh, living in 1910 in a crowded Boston tenement, wants to be a farmer when he grows up. "Who ever heard of a Jewish farmer?" his uncle scoffs. But after Simon's little brother almost gets stepped on by a huge carthorse in the street teeming with traffic, Simon's parents decide to buy a house away from the city's dangers. Simon works hard after school to make their new home a real farm, so that his father doesn't have to work so hard in the clothing business, but he encounters many setbacks, among them a chicken-cheater, duck disasters (2), and a challenging friendship.Simon and Patrick-both outsiders-become friends. Patrick's Irish family is destitute and in trying to help them, Simon gets into serious trouble. Too proud to accept charity, Patrick turns on Simon and they have a bitter fight. Simon doesn't care if he never sees Patrick again. He has something else to worry about. The aunt he's never seen, who was a little girl when Simon's mother left Russia years ago, is coming to live with his family if she can escape from Russia and survive the difficult voyage to America. Little does Simon know that his Aunt Rifka will help him make his farm dream a reality.