A four-year-old boy living in the South who goes by Lamb, though his full name is Lambert Charles Harroday IV, has never spoken a word in his life. His mother Althea wishes to take Lamb to a speech therapist in Atlanta, but his father Charles thinks that is unnecessary, that Lamb is just special and a bit peculiar. And peculiar Lamb is— he dresses in white trousers each day and spends his time reading novels; at the present moment, he is rereading Charles Dickens. His family has picked up on the fact that Lamb's mannerisms reflect the novel that he is currently reading. In Lamb's own mind, he stores a lot of information about characters, facts, and science, but no one would ever know because Lamb never shares his knowledge out loud. For the Fourth of July family picnic, Lamb and his family plan to go to Althea's sister Valentine's house. She has six daughters, one of whom Lamb is close to. His cousin Caroline is seven-years-old, and she, too, is a quiet child, though she does sometimes talk. On the car ride to Valentine's house, Althea tells Charles that Valentine is concerned for Caroline. The young girl has established particularly elaborate friendships with her imaginary friend Chrystal and Chrystal's two sibling friends Asberry and Riley. Lamb thinks he can understand Caroline's affinity for her imaginary friends because they are easier to talk to than real people. When Lamb arrives at the party, at first he does not see Caroline. He searches for her and finds her in her room alone, though she says she is with Chrystal and the siblings. Lamb plays along at first, but Caroline begins rambling about Asberry receiving a badge for catching a boar and Riley receiving a letter from the queen, and Lamb becomes somewhat uncomfortable. Then, Caroline begins speaking about Lamb as if _he _were an imaginary friend, saying that he got his tie from Jimmy Carter, and Lamb is no longer willing to play Caroline's game. Lamb interrupts her with a single word aloud: "No." Then he gives Caroline a beaming smile, and the two stare at each other until Caroline, too, understands the significance of the moment and smiles back.