It's the Hungry Thirties and Bonnie's family has been hit hard by the Depression, and relocated to Lang, Ontario. The move is supposed to give them a fresh start, but a swath of new challenges rises to meet them as they adapt to their new surroundings. For Bonnie, settling into her new school is an uphill battle, but a series of small victories soon sets Bonnie on a path of success. When disaster strikes and her family's last hope, a small clutch of chicks, is trampled by a rampaging sow after a storm blows their shed door open, Bonnie enters a regional spelling bee in the hopes that the cash prize will be enough to replace the lost chicks and save her family.