On Tuesday afternoon, Bruton's four daughters, none of whom are married, deposit their children at his house for the day. As he welds in his garage and they mess around nearby, he laments his dilapidated home and junk-saturated yard.

On a trip to the corner store with the kids, he hears Fordlyson, a man with a bit more money, three married and happy children, and many grandchildren, call his entourage "Bruton and the bastardmobile." He resists the urge to punch the man, but the comment sticks with him.

At home, he wonders: is it his fault that his daughters turned out as they did? That their children are so vulgar and, as he puts it, "white trash?" A similar impulse led him to read their first Bible stories since none of their parents were religious. They misunderstand much, but he sees that the ideas have begun to captivate them. After he unplugged their TV, he read them part of a book and saw their eyes lighten.

The next day, Bruton swallows his pride and, after admonishing Fordlyson, asks him for help with the kids. The conversation, difficult as it is, lights a fire inside him. He finds a new church where they will have more support, declutters his yard, and begins to fix up the house. The next day, two of the children come over again, and the new state of their relationship with Bruton is clear: Nu-nu, the baby, calls him da-da.