Connie, a fourteen-year-old, goes to live with her aunt and uncle in the Kansas suburbs after her parents die in an accident. There, she struggles to fit in, but she eventually makes friends with a girl named Posy Moreno who lives on White Creek Row, the area's shantytown. Posy is a few years older, leading Connie to feel slightly insecure about her own youth. One day, Connie goes to White Creek Row to visit her friend, but Posy has headed into town. She sees a fifty-something-year-old carpenter named Mr. deRocca eating an onion on his front porch. Connie heads over and admires the American flag statue in Mr. deRocca's yard, and the two make small-talk. Mr. deRocca grows increasingly more friendly, as he offers Connie food and then offers to show her a catfish net in a secluded part of a nearby creek. Naively, Connie follows him. There, hidden by the reeds, Mr. deRocca begins to make sexual advances. When Connie finally realizes what is going on, she hears Posy's voice calling for her in the distance. Mr. deRocca releases her, and Connie heads home with Posy. Internally conflicted, Connie breaks down and is comforted by her aunt.