One hundred and ten years ago at Green Lake, the people go to Sam, the onion man, for health advice. One day, Katherine Barlow is feeding onions to Sam’s donkey Mary Lou when she reveals that she is worried about the rain because the schoolhouse leaks. Sam says he can fix it and Katherine pays him in jars of spiced peaches. Katherine and Sam talk while he fixes the schoolhouse. He isn’t “allowed to attend classes because he was a Negro, but they let him fix the building” (109). They enjoy their talks and have a shared love of poetry. When Sam finishes the roof, Katherine continues to find things around the schoolhouse for him to fix so that they can continue to spend time together. When everything is fixed, Katherine tells Sam she has a broken heart and Sam says he can fix that too. They kiss, thinking that they won’t be seen; the street is empty because of rain. However, Hattie Parker spots them.

The entire town hears about how Same and Kate were kissing. Led by Trout Walker, the man that Kate refused to go on a date with, men and women from Green Lake come to the schoolhouse to burn it down.