Where the Red Fern Grows is the story of Billy Coleman, a man reminiscing about his childhood in the Ozarks and the Redbone Coonhounds he raised and trained. After working diligently to purchase the dogs, Little Ann and Old Dan, as puppies, the young Billy raises them as champion hunters. They accompany him as he grows into a man, helping him through many turbulent periods. Eventually Old Dan is killed fighting a Mountain Lion and Little Ann dies of grief shortly thereafter. His innocence lost, Billy confronts adulthood.
Billy Colman spots a Redbone coonhound in a fight with neighborhood dogs Billy chases the other dogs and helps the hound recover from its wounds When the dog is feeling stronger again Billy realizes he must set it free knowing that the hound will find its way home Growing up in the Ozarks with his parents and three younger sisters Billy wants to own a pair of Red Bone coonhounds but his parents tell him that the family cannot afford coonhounds One day Billy finds an article in a sportsman magaz