Bud (never Buddy) Caldwell is a spirited, kind, energetic 10-year boy who lives at an orphanage in Flint, Michigan as the story opens. He was orphaned at 6 when his mother, Angela Janet Caldwell, passed away. He suspects his father is Herman E. Calloway, a musician named on several flyers his mother kept; this possibility gradually becomes more and more probable to Bud as he repeatedly recalls his mother’s distracted and nervous behavior regarding a flyer advertising Calloway’s performance nearby in Flint. Once his plan to hop a train west fails, Bud realizes that the theory about his father is now so big, it must be true. Following this hunch, Bud sets out for Grand Rapids to find Mr. Calloway. While Bud is quite strong, resilient, independent, and resourceful for a 10-year-old, he also possesses the unrealistic optimism and “logic” of a young child.

Bud keeps a running list of “Rules and Things for Having a Funner Life and Making a Better Liar Out of Yourself” (11). Ironically, each of his rules is heavy on truth and comes as a result of learning hard lessons on honesty, trust, and losing those you love; examples include “If You Got to Tell a Lie, Make Sure It’s Simple and Easy to Remember” (11), “If a Adult Tells You Not to Worry, and You Weren’t Worried Before, You Better Hurry Up and Start ‘Cause You’re Already Running Late” (42), and “Gone = Dead!” (178).