Young Alan comes down with a fever after a day's outing and is diagnosed as having infantile paralysis.

With the aid of crutches and a wheelchair, young Alan is able to attend school, where he makes new friends and confronts the class bully.

Young Alan adapts quickly to walking on crutches and goes on to the new challenge of horseback riding.

An interest in writing is awakened by Alan's experiences on his first trip away from home.

Nineteen year old Alan travels to Melbourne in search of a job and finds that few employers are eager to hire a handicapped person.

Alan receives word that Australia's leading literary magazine is preparing to publish his first story.