Set in 1953 small-town Vermont, Billy Bump is a narrative of a fatherless young boy. The story unfolds during the summer of Billy's ninth birthday when-through a chance encounter-he meets enigmatic Kirk Rivers, a strapped man living on life's edge. Billy and Kirk embark on a heartfelt friendship that leads Kirk into a budding romance with Billy's winsome mother, Jennie. But there's disquiet ahead. For Billy's sidekick Charlie Bullard is a wily rascal with a penchant for trouble. And he sets in motion a perilous scheme that puts both Billy and Kirk into near-death comas which ultimately leads to their redemption.