Stevie, a thirteen-year-old boy, travels for several days in a truck with his uncle and a man named Wes until arriving in Requa, California in 1932. There, the boy sleeps most of the day, and even when he is awake does not leave the bed. He finally gets up when Wes makes him join their housemates for dinner, but he is silent the whole time and returns to bed immediately after. In the morning, Wes takes Stevie to the bus stop on his way to work so that he can go to school. When the bus arrives, however, he only looks at the driver and shakes his head, so the bus soon leaves, and the boy walks back home. He continues to sleep during the day and rarely speaks to anyone in the house. On one occasion, Wes tries to get him to unpack some of his stuff, but this causes Stevie to panic and throw up. Wes, who knows that the stuff he brought belonged to a dead loved one, apologizes to Stevie for making him look through it. Stevie, however, becomes angry at Wes and insists that he does not think about her now that she's dead. A while later, Wes tries driving the boy to school, but Stevie climbs out of the car each time Wes begins to drive. Stevie eventually tells Wes that he will walk home even if they make it to the school, and he asks to come to work with Wes instead. Wes is reluctant, but because he has no other choice, he agrees. Steve helps Wes at the gas pumps, but he struggles to keep up, and Wes often finds him napping or sneaking off to be alone. After several weeks like this, a woman named Mrs. Edler takes Stevie with her to visit several cemeteries. When they return, Wes is shocked to find that Stevie has more energy than ever before.