What's the plot?

The novel begins at the end of World War II when Jack Baker, a boy from Kansas, loses his mother and finds himself alone with a father he barely knows. Shortly after his his mother’s death, Jack's father sends him to boarding school in Maine, a school located near the naval base where Captain Baker is stationed. Jack, in turn, is struggling to fit in at school, in addition to grieving over his mother’s death. Over time, Jack befriends a boy named Early, and when Jack’s father is unable to come for spring break, Jack accepts Early’s invitation to go on a quest down the Appalachian Trail searching for a bear, as well as for his brother, who he doesn't believe died fighting in Europe. During their journey, the boys come across “pirates” and find shelter with a kindly outfitter. Jack is also mistaken for the son of an old woman, who has been waiting for her son to return for fifty years. In the end, Fisher finds them, and Captain Baker is able to help Fisher make peace with the fact that his entire squad was killed and Fisher survived. Jack then realizes his father suffers from his wife's death, and that like him, his father is grieving. Captain Baker learns to open up to his son, and the two go onto build a healthy, loving, father/son relationship.