Maybe someday, Andy Rusch will make his father's dreams come true and be one of the first men on the moon. But for now Andy is perfectly happy with everything the way it is. He likes working in his father's hardware store, playing on the Serentiy baseball team, and being best friends with Onion John, the town eccentric. Nobody else seems to understand Andy the way Onion John does. And nobody else understands Onion John at all.
But Andy's father doesn't seem to see how great things are. All he can see is how much better they could be. So, just like he does with Andy, Mr. Rusch starts making plans for Onion John. After all, he says, all Onion John needs is a little help.
But Andy and his father soon learn that a little help can sometimes lead to a lot of trouble, especially when the person getting the help doesn't really want it...