Life has not been easy lately for sixteen-year-old Walker. His father has died, his girlfriend has moved away, and the family finances are in a shambles. Finally it seems as if things are looking up: Walker has a date with Rachel, the beautiful new girl in his class, and his mother has announced she's gotten a job. Only not your average, run-of-the-mill mom's job. Walker's mother is going to work as a stripper. What if his friends find out? What if Rachel finds out? Coincidentally, Walker's dad has left him a piece of land on which Rachel's father is scheming to build a mall, and after seeing the land, Walker goes about the hard work of farming it, and the hard work of being in love for the first time. Propelled by Ron Koertge's rapid-fire repartee, this is the funny and touching tale of a winningly honest protagonist discovering the perils and rewards of family, friendship, and romance.