Mrs. Lark has always been well known throughout the town due to her marriage to the town's founder. One summer, she becomes the very center of attention in the town after she witnesses her husband's tragic death. On the road to his home, driving his car, a large tree suddenly falls and crushes him, all while Mrs. Lark stands in the front yard helpless, unable to do anything other than watch. She becomes reclusive after this traumatic event, tending to nothing else but her garden in the backyard. The soil seems more fertile than anywhere else in town despite the constant rain every day because the garden produces overwhelming amounts of fruits and flowers in abundance. The whole town watches as Mrs. Lark seems to become literally and metaphorically consumed by the garden. One day, when the rain ceases, Mrs. Lark is in her garden as always. She is suddenly struck by the stillness of the place, surrounded by the thick garden, and feels utterly alone. She becomes enraged by the manifestation of her loneliness in the garden's stillness. She turns to call out to Jamey, a young Black boy she hires to work in the garden with her. He does not hear or respond to her call. It seems he is still and has stopped whistling his song, caught up in a daydream. Mrs. Lark approaches the boy from behind, raising the hoe above her head with the intent to bring it down and kill the young boy. The rain begins before she can follow through with the act, and she is shaken from her murderous rage. Jamey turns around and waits for his money for the day, entranced by the rain. She thinks of her bed, which she will soon fall asleep in, exhausted from the day's work in the garden. At that moment, she sinks to the ground with her face up to face the falling rain. She seems to be passed out, and Jamey begins calling her name, panicked as he remembers the stillness that fell over him the moment he felt her standing behind him and seeing that stillness in her body laid out on the ground. She finally stirred, and Jamey quickly fled the all-white town and the widow's garden.