Returning to his small hometown nestled in the mountains of upper East Tennessee, Jake Rule attends his 50th high school reunion at Elizabethton High School. As he greets old classmates, Jake is transported back to the wondrous days of his high school years: 1948-1952. He recalls four turbulent, incredible years: nights at Taylor's Drug Store, camping trips gone wrong, blond beach girls, local bootleggers, disappointment, loss and triumph. Jake may have been a naive freshman, but as he learns respect and appreciation for his father, meets the coach who inspired the entire school, becomes involved in the tragic events that led him to keep secrets, and works with the newspaper editor who changed his life, Jake leaves Elizabethton High School a man of integrity and determination. Remembering a past filled with promises and pain, Jake celebrates the "last of the innocent times" at his last reunion.