In 1904, when Frederick and Jette flee her disapproving mother, where better to go than America, the land of the new? Set to board a boat to New York, at the last minute they take one destined for New Orleans instead. Later they find themselves, more by chance than by design, in Beatrice, Missouri, a small town populated with unforgettable characters. In narrating their story, grandson James comes to realize he doesn't know his own story at all.
