World War II is over! Young Addie Mills, age 9, is thrilled when a former Clear River resident, an artist like she aspires to be, returns to town as a war hero, having been given romantic notions from the movies of what a "war hero" is like. She finds the reality much different, especially on a frightening Hallowe'en night.

Addie Mills, once the precocious little girl who wanted a Christmas tree, is taking the next step in her life. It was difficult enough getting her dad to accept her choice of a university-now he must adjust to a more personal change.