A four-year-old black boy waits for his supper and looks out his window to see the Rainleys' house, where his neighbor Alice lived. The boy often saw a man named Scott working at their stable. He was scared of Scott because of his bulged eye and frightening appearance, one that was "shriveled and black and dried up." The boy has dinner with his family afterwards. He eats with a man named John Harris, a woman named Ginny, and another woman named Ellie. The boy hears the family discussing the recent arrest of a man named Pleasant "Pleas" Scott, who allegedly killed his wife with rat poison. The boys hears them talk about how Pleas purchased the poison from the local drugstore owner, Mr. Huff. The boy is puzzled at the pieces of information he gathers, such as what poison is. He remembers his fourth birthday party, where he played with other children outside after the rain. They picked up toadstools and used them as little umbrellas, and Alice ran out and told him he cannot touch them because they are poison.   Over the following dinners, the boy hears his family continue talking about Pleas Scott. The boy mistakenly believes Pleas is the scary stable worker who is also named Scott. The boy imagines Scott going to the drugstore, glaring at Mr. Huff with his bulging eye, and asking for the rat poison. He pictures Mr. Huff, scared and confused, hesitantly giving Scott the poison. Then he imagines Scott sneaking the rat poison into his wife's coffee.   The boy was going to take a walk with Ellie, who he describes as "a yellow girl" who taught him the alphabet. Ellie hurries him into getting him ready and putting on his coat. She says goodbye to Ginny on the way out, who says she would be praying. They walk downtown and meet a crowd of black townspeople filling the street and standing under a white wall. The boy tells Ellie he wants to see the surroundings, and she places him on her shoulders. He sees the windows of the town jail and the setup of a noose, that he thinks looks like a swing. Ellie puts him back down. Soon, the clock soon strikes, and the crowd id silent as Scott is escorted out, unbeknownst to the boy. He hears someone read, then the crowd looks shocked. The boy sees Ellie begin to cry and people in the crowd moan.   On the walk back home, Ellie explains to the boy that Pleas Scott was hung. He asks why, and if it hurt, and Ellie dismisses his countless questions. They walk by Alice's house and see the stable worker Scott come out. The boy asks Ellie afterward how Scott could walk if he is dead. Ellie tells him they hung Pleas Scott, and that this Scott is not dead. The boy is disappointed that Alice was not answering what he wanted to know.