A timid, cowering beagle follows Marty through the woods and trails him back to his home.

Dad identifies the beagle as Judd Travers's dog and drives Marty to return it immediately.

Judd kicks Shiloh for running away and threatens to whip the dog if he ever runs again.

Shiloh appears outside the Preston home a second time and Marty resolves never to return the dog to Judd.

Marty secretly builds a hidden pen deep in the woods to keep Shiloh out of sight.

Judd comes to the Preston home looking for his missing dog and Marty lies that he has not seen Shiloh.

Ma grows suspicious of Marty's strange habits and secretly follows him into the woods, discovering Shiloh.

Marty begs Ma not to tell Dad about Shiloh for one night and she reluctantly agrees.

A German Shepherd jumps into Shiloh's pen and badly wounds the beagle in the night.

Marty and his father rush the bleeding, badly injured Shiloh to Doc Murphy for emergency treatment.

Dad forces Marty to confess to Doc Murphy that Shiloh belongs to Judd and has been secretly hidden.

Judd Travers arrives at the Preston home and demands Shiloh be returned to him by Sunday.

On the way to Judd's house, Marty watches Judd illegally shoot a doe out of hunting season.

Marty blackmails Judd into surrendering Shiloh in exchange for silence about the illegal deer kill and twenty hours of work.

On Marty's final day of work, Judd gives him an old collar and announces that Shiloh is his.

Marty Preston discovers an abused beagle named Shiloh and secretly shelters the dog to protect it from its cruel owner, Judd Travers. Despite his father's insistence that Shiloh must be returned, Marty builds a hidden pen in the woods and lies to his entire family to keep the dog safe. His secret begins to unravel when his mother discovers the pen, and that same night a German Shepherd attacks and nearly kills Shiloh. After rushing Shiloh to the local doctor, Marty is forced to come clean, and Judd angrily demands his dog back by Sunday. Marty refuses to give up, and when he witnesses Judd illegally shoot a deer out of season, he uses the knowledge as leverage to strike a deal trading his silence for Shiloh. After completing twenty grueling hours of work for Judd, Marty finally earns the dog he loves.

The headline events of Marty's fight to keep Shiloh.

Marty names the beagle Shiloh after the nearby area where he first found the dog.

During the mail route, Marty and Dad stop at Judd's and learn Judd starved Shiloh as punishment for running.

Marty defiantly tells Judd that the beagle's name is Shiloh; Judd dismissively shrugs.

Marty begins collecting cans and bottles along the road to earn money to buy Shiloh from Judd.

Marty starts secretly holding back portions of his own meals to save food for Shiloh.

Marty visits David Howard and accepts extra food from Mrs. Howard, secretly planning to bring it to Shiloh.

Marty spends his fifty-three cents at Mr. Wallace's store buying stale food for Shiloh.

Marty lies to his sister Dara Lynn about snakes near Shiloh's pen to keep her away.

Neighbors begin leaving food in mailboxes for Dad after Mr. Wallace spreads word of the family's hardship.

Ma comes home puzzled after townsfolk ask her about the bad headaches she never actually had.

Doc Murphy arrives early at the Prestons' home, bringing a much-recovered and joyful Shiloh back.

As Shiloh heals at the Preston home, the entire family including Dad grows deeply attached to the beagle.

Judd assigns Marty backbreaking tasks such as splitting wood and hoeing corn to fulfill their agreement.

During work breaks, Marty quietly urges Judd to feed his dogs better, appealing to Judd's vanity.

Ma bakes a real cake to celebrate Shiloh officially becoming a new member of the Preston family.

While the main plot focuses on big confrontations, Marty's daily effort to hide and feed Shiloh is a story of small sacrifices and mounting deceptions. From naming the dog to sneaking scraps from his own meals and spending his last coins on stale food, Marty's devotion to Shiloh shapes every decision he makes. His lies ripple outward to his sister, his friend David, and even the whole town, as a shopkeeper's gossip sends neighbors leaving food in mailboxes for the Prestons. Once Shiloh is discovered and healed, the whole family falls in love with the beagle, quietly changing the household dynamic. Marty then endures Judd's punishing work assignments while trying to gently influence the man's behavior toward his dogs. The story closes with Ma baking a real cake, a small but meaningful symbol of the joy Shiloh has finally brought to the family.

The daily struggles and small moments behind Marty's secret.

Marty notices that Shiloh's cowering, silent behavior reveals the dog has been badly mistreated by its owner.

Marty slips a family egg to Shiloh despite household rules, deciding the dog's hunger takes priority.

Marty recalls finding a dead beagle with a bullet hole in the woods and fears Judd could shoot Shiloh.

Marty remembers lying as a child about a chocolate Easter rabbit and struggles with his growing dishonesty toward his family.

Judd gives Marty a ride and reveals that his own father beat him with a belt starting when Judd was four.

Marty's anxiety surges when he learns Judd wants to hunt on Preston land, fearing the man suspects something.

Marty lets Shiloh roam freely through the house and yard while Ma and his sisters are away in town.

Dad agrees to let Shiloh remain in the house while the dog heals, reversing his firm insistence on returning him.

Marty's parents argue that night over Shiloh, and Marty realizes his lies have damaged their relationship.

David Howard stumbles upon the bloody pen and Marty decides to confide the full truth to his friend.

David helps Marty clean the bloody pen, proving himself a far more loyal friend than Marty had realized.

Marty decides to confront Judd directly, planning to use animal cruelty charges as leverage to win Shiloh.

Judd tells Marty the written agreement is worthless because no witness was present when it was signed.

Marty chooses to keep working for Judd despite being told their written agreement has no legal standing.

Marty reflects that protecting Shiloh opened his eyes about himself, others, and the true complexity of right and wrong.

Marty's journey with Shiloh is defined not just by what happens, but by the moments of discovery, moral reckoning, and personal growth that change him. From recognizing Shiloh's abuse to wrestling with his own growing dishonesty, Marty constantly re-evaluates the line between right and wrong. A revealing ride with Judd exposes the cruel childhood that shaped the man, while the German Shepherd attack and its aftermath force Marty to face the real cost of keeping secrets from the people he loves. The trust broken in his family and the loyalty discovered in his friend David teach Marty that honesty and connection matter deeply. When Judd tries to invalidate their deal, Marty's decision to keep working anyway becomes his defining act of integrity. By the story's end, Marty understands that protecting Shiloh changed who he is and how he sees the world.