Rawls creates an exciting adventure and a captivating story of love, devotion, determination, and achievement through the use of aphorism (a brief statement of a truth or a principle), foreshadowing, and imagery.

Billy, the protagonist and narrator, in a prolonged flashback, tells the story. More than fifty years have passed since his experiences as a young boy living in the Ozarks of northeast Oklahoma and his love affair with two special dogs. Rawls uses figurative language to paint a picture of the Ozark Mountains, the family farm, surrounding forests, and the customs and traditions of the region. The following examples show some of these descriptions. "Papa's words perked me up just like air does a deflated inner tube." "A big grinning Ozark moon had the countryside bathed in a soft yellow glow. The starlit heaven reminded me of a large blue umbrella, outspread and with the...