Dovey Coe is 13 yrs. old and lives in what seems to be part of the Appalachian Mountains with her mom, dad, 14 yr. old deaf brother, Amos, and 16 yr. old beautiful sister, Caroline. Her sister wants to go away to a teaching college, but is tempted to marry the well off Parnell, whose parents own the general store in town. After Parnell is turned down he gets angry and tries to get revenge on Dovey and her brother Amos. Parnell is found dead with Dovey as the main suspect, as they are found in a storage closet together with Parnell's murder weapon being a 25 lb. soda canister.