Loveable Chip, an ever-smiling, 12 1/2 year old runaway, befriends and is befriended by an interesting assortment of six unhappy residents who reside in a rundown, depressing, rural, retirement home. A blue-eyed, long haired, blond, ragamuffin in appearance, Chip shares a story of parental abuse and neglect - one that leaves several of his old friends suspicious. Together they gradually discover the secrets of happiness and learn that neither brashness nor wisdom is necessarily the sole domain of either youth or old age. There is laughter and tears. There is heart stopping adventure and heartwarming tender moments. Some stories can't be neatly drawn to a tidy conclusion; The Chipper of Oakton Villa is one of those.