Set in the early days of The Great Depression, the narrator (Mary Kay Place) tells us the story of her father Elmer (Jacob Tremblay) as a child. While Elmer and his mother Dela (Golshifteh Frahani) run a successful General Store together serving the communities needs thanks to Elmer's ability at finding things, this idyllic life is short lived as the depression hits and the store is closed with Dela and Elma relocating from their home and move to an apartment in Nevergreen City where Dela looks for work but promises Elmer they'll one day have a store of their own again. While Elmer fastidiously claims to this dream, Dela becomes more pessimistic as she struggles to keep both their heads above water. When a cat follows Elmer in, Elmer in an act of kindness gives it a saucer of milk which frustrates Dela and the resulting exchange sends Elmer running away in tears. The cat follows Elmer and reveals it can talk (voiced by Whoopi Goldberg) and rewards Elmer for his kindness by telling him of an island where a magical fire breathing dragon is waiting that Elmer could use to solve his problems.
