In the spring of 1938, young John grew up in a rural dust bowl. The Depression continued to plague western Canada, and families lived under tough conditions in and around North Battleford, Saskatchewan. Letters from Poland tell of the hardship relatives are experiencing. At the farm, John is having trouble with people’s reaction to his facial scar. He is very aware of people staring at him and is being picked on by a bigger and older schoolhouse bully. His teacher and mother preach to ignore the bully; however, John has a decision to make. Scars, allows the reader to see things through John’s eyes. He must fight to have people look past his scar while the large family fights to get through 1938.