Franklin Pierce Holloway learns about love, loyalty and loss on the porch swing of his home in small-town Alabama from his faithful Bluetick hound, Tyrone, his best friend, Sam, and Butler, the new boy in town.

When a new boy moves in to the house next door, nine-year-old Franklin is worried about competition for the affection of his best friend, Sam. Sam lives two doors down, is the daughter of his mother's best friend and spends most evenings at Franklin's house watching TV.

Sam saved Franklin from the town bully in first grade when she beat the holy living tar out of the bully because he sat on Franklin's back. Already, Franklin knows he will always love Sam.

By the end of their yearly vacation in a remote summer home on St. Teresa Beach, Franklin realizes he has grown to love the strange character who moved in next door and feels an overwhelming desire to protect him, not only from the town bullies, but also from those who scorn him simply because he looks different.

Sam, Tyrone, the Streak, and Me is a story of enduring love, abiding friendships, and hope for surviving the stormy seas of life from an unusual source, the Little Petunia.