Tommy Larson is a quiet fifth grader with only a few friends. He is also the only person he knows in the fifth grade with no father. If it were not for faithful friends like Kimmie Brown and Willis Nelson, he would be completely alone. When Mrs. Richardson assigns a project to write a tribute to their fathers, Tommy struggles with his lack of knowledge, and his moms' reluctance to talk about his dad. His only chance is to create the perfect dad on paper. During his struggle to create an imaginary dad worth talking about, Tommy finally learns the truth about his father.