Breathe with the Arrow

In the summer of 1954, nine-year-old Shirley travels from Tulsa to rural Oklahoma to stay with her grandparents. Her grandfather, a strict and stoic World War I veteran, runs the household with rigid discipline, while her grandmother Jolene offers gentle warmth and kindness.

Shirley soon meets Cecil, their teenage grandson, who spends his days practicing archery in the fields. He teaches her how to hold a bow, how to focus, and how to trust her aim, and the two form a quiet, meaningful bond over the weeks they spend together.

But when Cecil suddenly contracts polio and dies, the summer takes a heartbreaking turn. Shirley returns home carrying both the grief of losing him and the confidence he helped spark-an unforgettable summer shaped by discipline, tenderness, and a brief friendship that changed her life.