Poke's birth circumstance created a simple but difficult life for him. Being mentally challenged, Poke had an occupation as an odd jobber. Riding his bike around the area afforded him the opportunity of seeing people's curb side tossing's on each trash day. He acquired several small finds of importance to him, which he stashed away in a grey wooden box that he buried in a sand dune next to the fishing lodge where he had a part time job. His life ended in tragedy.

In contrast, Ben's life is much different.

Visiting his grandparents as a young boy at their home along the Delaware Bay in New Jersey, Ben is opened to making several choices on his own. These choices set Ben on a traveled path of events. Against his grandparents' wishes, he went to a place where he discovers a buried box. The contents remain with Ben throughout his life, gaining significance as he ages.

His actions to help a widow and her grandchildren reveal surprising things to him. Knowledge of the past creeps forward, revealing its mysteries, creating for Ben an opportunity he has been anxiously seeking.

Fortunes appear in a rare connected manner, showing that life's destiny may be controlled.