Edith McGillcuddy lives in Salinas, California, a small and divided town, in 1879. Salinas has twenty saloons and five churches, both influencing its townspeople. They commonly engage in sinful activities and then go to church repentant on Sundays. Edith is the twelve-year-old daughter of Methodist church leaders, who commonly warn Edith to avoid problematic Catholic children. However, she enjoys being in their company.   One day, Edith was walking to Sunday school and runs into Susy Nugger, "a little girl of Edith's age but not of her class." Susy tells Edith she is going to a "free funeral," a funeral that has free train rides, and was heading to the coastal city of Monterey. She bribes Edith with a lollipop to go with her, and the two sit in the back of the train.   When the train arrives at Monterey Bay, the brakeman tells the passengers they will start to head back to Salinas at 4 PM. Edith observes Susy with another girl named Ella, so she heads to the graveyard with the other passengers. Edith finds herself sobbing uncontrollably as the priest begins the burial service. When she meets with Susy after the service, she tells Edith to go away and leave her alone with Ella.   Edith solemnly walks to the nearby beach, where she sees a young girl named Lizzie come out of an overturned boat. Edith and Lizzie walk through the Monterey streets together, planning to visit a house that Lizzie mentioned. When they find the large, two-story house, Lizzie tells a surprised Edith that a man and a woman will be sitting on a tablecloth on the ground. A voice tells them to open the gate and enter. The girls come across the man and woman sitting on a tablecloth as Lizzie predicted. Lizzie sells them a bucket of huckleberries for five cents, then runs out immediately after the transaction. Edith angrily realizes Lizzie was a scammer, but the young man dismisses it, claiming he doesn’t care.   The young man offers Edith tea, and she sits with them. She realizes the young man is not Indian as she believed, asserting, “you talk pretty near like Gran'ma McGillcuddy.” The young man inquires more about Edith, but she then realizes her train was about to leave and runs off. That’s how Edith met Robert Louis Stevenson.