It is in the Eastern part of Tennessee this story begins, in the small town of Johnson City, located one hundred miles northeast of Knoxville-a lovely city nestled in among lush green mountains. The year is 1954, population 23,000. Johnson City is a town that has flourished, from its beginning. It is rich in history, but this is not a story of history. This story centers on the strife and hardships of one dirt-poor Southern family and one little girl s will to survive, survive not only as a child but long after. Her name is Callie James, and Callie tells the story.