While being interviewed by a television news crew on the occasion of her 101st birthday, Agnes Willoughby is asked if there is one person that stands out in her lifetime. The ensuing memory is the story of Samuel Christian Olenger who, as an infant, was found abandoned on a doorstep. Agnes says the best place to start is at the beginning which is nearly a hundred years ago. Agnes lays the storyline for a charming tale of a boy and his dog growing up in a small coastal town during the 1920s, 30s and 40s. But this is not your usual boy and dog story.