Tom and Son Jesus spend their days dreaming, fishing , and trying to escape work.  But their fun comes to an abrupt halt when they discover a human bone, which later turns out to be part of the skeletal remains of Son Jesus' long missing father.  As sheriff Frank Rucker, a World War II hero, begins an investigation into remains, he unmasks the racially motivated killer known only as Pegleg.  The sheriff's findings divide the people of Overton County, forcing a surprising conclusion —or beginning of justice.

Set in the 1940's and using the relationships of two boys—one black and the other white—as a  springboard for the begining of desegregation in the South, The Runaway examines the joys, sorrows, conflicts, and racial disharmony of their historical biased environment.