A bus arrives in the dry, silent town of Henry, Kansas, and deposits there a 12-year-old boy, also named Henry. Henry has come from Boston to live with his aunt and uncle, vivacious Dotty Willis and her thin, oddball husband Frank. They greet Henry at the station, where Dotty hugs him and expresses sorrow about his missing parents. Frank points to a truck, and they walk to it. Frank puts Henry’s duffel bag in the rear and helps Henry climb in with it. It’s the first time he’s ever ridden in the back of a pickup.

The truck drives through town and down a gravel road while Henry bounces around in the back. They arrive at a large, pale-blue house with a barn behind. The house is two stories with an attic above. Waiting on the front porch are three girls, Henry’s cousins.

The girls take Henry on a quick tour of the house, including various artworks made by Frank and the girls, a junk drawer, and the toilet plunger. On the second floor, a room, “Grandfather’s room,” remains locked.

They show Henry the attic, his new quarters. At one end is a large, round window; at the other is a converted closet containing his bed.