Charley is only 15 years old but so far has had a pretty hard and unstable life. His mother is gone and he stays with his father who doesn't have much to give Charley in the way of either the basics or emotional support.
On his new job working for Del, a horse racing businessman, Charley forms a connection with Lean On Pete aka Pete, an aging quarter horse whose running days are numbered.
The story line is a bit predictable in a general way and there seems to be no message conveyed by the film. It did hold my interest for the most part mainly because I found it well acted.