Summary

Junior is a poor boy who lives on the Spokane Indian Reservation. Junior is born with water on his brain, he has a poor eyesight, seizures and lips and stutters. Because of these problems Junior is regularly beaten up and called names. Junior  only has to friends his dog Oscar and Rowdy. When Oscar gets sick his father kills him because they don't have money to go the vet. Now Junior only has one friend, Rowdy.

Rowdy also has his own problems. Rowdy's father abuses him and his mother. Rowdy is the only one who wants and can protect Junior from his bullies. On Junior's first day at Wellpinit high school Junior finds out that his textbook was used by his mother. Junior knows that alcohol is more important to many Indians on the reservation than education is. Junior decides to transfer from his reservation school to Reardan, a white school that is twenty-two miles away. All of the ‘white’ kids are rich and have enough money to buy everything they want. Once Junior arrives, he finds that he is the only Indian on the school. Junior gets to know a very popular white girl, Penelope, and a very smart boy, Gordy. His best friend on the reservation, Rowdy, stays behind and never wants to speak to Junior (the traitor) again. Meanwhile, most of the students at Reardan treat Junior as an outcast as well. The education at the Reardan school is much better, Junior gets more stimulated by the intellectual challenges at the Reardan school. Despite that Junior must fight to improve his social standing both on and off the reservation. Junior accomplishes this when he joins the Reardan basketball team. Junior surprises himself when, as a freshman, he makes the varsity team. Junior’s biggest challenge comes when he must play against his former basketball team from the reservation. The star player of the reservation is Junior’s ex–best friend, Rowdy. The first match was won by Wellpinit after Rowdy cheats on Junior. But in the second game Reardan takes the win and Junior is the hero of the day.