Homer "Sonny" Hickam, Jr. is a kid with the destiny of working in the local coal mine like his father. However in October 1957, Sonny is inspired when the first artificial satellite, Sputnik goes into orbit. With that event, Sonny finds himself with an interest in building rockets. Sonny, along with his friends, form a group called The Big Creek Missile Agency. The people of Coalwood call them the rocket boys. Unfortunately, most of the town and especially Sonny's father does not approve of them building rockets. Homer, Sonny's dad, forces them to build their rockets outside of Coalwood to prevent disturbances to the rest of the town. They begin a trial and error in launching the rockets. They perfect this and little by little, people in the town support them. When they feel confident, they enter a science fair, where they win first place.