The story opens upon Claude Lightfoot, a reckless 12-year-old boy who constantly acts first and thinks later. After getting in a clash with some bullies, Claude is obliged to miss his First Communion.

 

In the course of the story, Fr. Finn manages to cover a host of topics, including smoking, drinking, the devil, Confession, Holy Communion, retaining one's Baptismal innocence, the 9 First Fridays, the priesthood, mothers and sisters, truthfulness, lying, courage, effeminacy, atheism, sacrilege, baseball, Americanism (true and false), Latin, virtue, honor, leadership, and more!