Alice's father is the only doctor for miles around in rural Alabama of the mid-1950s where she, her parents, and her older brother, Ben, live. Her father, born in India where his parents were missionaries, is fearless. He tries constantly to make Alice fearless too, but without success. Ben has his own horse that he loves, but Alice, who is enrolled in a home-schooling program, has no one to play with and she is lonely. Leroy, the African-American who helps around the place, is the only person who seems to have time to talk with Alice. He teases her and they tell each other stories -- hers from the books she reads, his traditional tales.

At last the decision is made to move to a town in Tennessee where both Alice and Ben can attend good public schools. Alice is joyful, but trying to fit in and make friends is not what she had expected. From the first day, she seems different than everyone else, and -- most importantly -- she and her parents believe in racial equality among blacks and whites. When the subject comes up in school, the teacher asks the children who would stay, if blacks are admitted. Remembering Leroy, Alice raises her hand. After that she is shunned by all her classmates.

How Alice, whose only refuge is in books, comes to terms with her new life isat the heart of this deeply moving story of a shy girl adjusting to life in the South before desegregation.