With the household finally settled down after Adam's return from college, a new storm cloud is gathering around Hoss, making him distracted and surly. Prodded by Ben, Adam agrees to spend time with his brother and allow him to talk about what's bothering him, if he wants to. He discovers the cause, but must also make a memory journey back to meeting a kind shopkeeper in Illinois.

In this prequel, Adam is packing to leave for school in 4 days, and can't find his mother's Bible. When it's finally found outside...soggy-with its pages stuck together by the overnight showers...all eyes turn to the youngest brother who is known to "borrow" things without asking first. Will Adam be able to forgive Little Joe for ruining this most precious remembrance of Elizabeth?

Adam has returned from college and is adjusting to life with his family again, when he witnesses an 11-year-old Little Joe do something so out of character that he must figure out why, and then help him deal with it. As the youngsters dilemma becomes clear, Adam's vow to his father that he'll, "Protect Little Joe or die trying," becomes all too real.

This begins with a prequel where Adam pulls a sliver from Joe's hand and Marie encourages her son to repay his older brother according to the Aesop fable. The payment goes awry and is forgotten until the second part of the story when Adam is recovering slowly from the wound received in The Honor of Cochise. Doc Martin says he must face his fears about the day to fully mend.