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