Homer is a good-hearted soul who finds that telling lies helps him navigate a path through the adults he meets as he searches for his brother, Harold, in war-torn America. His name evokes the famous poet Homer, who, nearly 2,700 years ago, wrote an epic about the Trojan War. The boy’s last name, Figg, suggests that his “mostly true” story contains figments of the imagination. It also rhymes with pig, and Homer performs briefly in a medicine show as The Amazing Pig Boy. Homer also recalls Mark Twain’s famous character Huckleberry Finn, whom Homer resembles for his independence, sense of adventure, and rare ability to get into and out of scrapes. Almost blindly persistent in his search for Harold, Homer is blessed with a great deal of dumb luck, and he discovers that bad things can lead to good outcomes and vice versa.

Homer’s older brother, Harold, is 17. Though still too young to be a soldier, Harold is kidnapped and sent to war because of his wicked uncle Squint, who resents housing and feeding him. When Homer finally locates Harold, he learns that Harold wanted to go away because he was tired of taking care of Homer.