Reeve McLain, Jr.—Junebug—has a big dream that keeps him going. He dreams that someday he and his younger sister and mother will move from the awful housing project where drugs, gangs, and guns are part of everyday life. Junebug's 10th birthday is coming up, and he knows the gangs and drug dealers will be after him to join them. But he has a big birthday plan to keep his hope alive.

Junebug is set to leave all his old problems behind when his family moves from the projects to a better neighborhood. But new problems crop up when he runs into school bullies and has trouble making new friends. His younger sister, Tasha, quickly fits in and makes friends with the tenants in their building, a group home for the elderly that their mama supervises. When summer vacation starts, Junebug's lazy-day plans are squashed when Mama tells him to take walks with cranky old Reverend Ashford every day and play soccer with the very same school bullies that beat him up. Is this any way to spend summer vacation? Little does Junebug know that there are some lessons you don't learn in school.

It’s been several busy months since Junebug and his family moved away from their old housing project. Now Junebug is ecstatic about seeing his best friend Robert again at the beach on Labor Day weekend. But Robert’s with Trevor, another project pal, who happens to be a gang member with a gun. Junebug’s scared of Robert joining Trevor’s gang and wonders if he can stop him. At home, Junebug thinks about the father he hardly knows. He has been in prison for over six years. Maybe he’s really innocent, but if not, will people think that Junebug will grow up to be like him?