The novel opens with a description of the town and a list of the major buildings of the town. It is mid-afternoon on a Friday. Some of the old men make crude statements about Kenny Stearns as he walks by on his way to ring the bell at the elementary school. Kenny is frustrated with his wife Ginny and desperate for a drink. His last thought spoken aloud is overheard by Miss Elsie Thornton and her class of eighth graders. Miss Thornton looks at the vulnerable Allison MacKenzie, the worldly Selena Cross, the bullying Rodney Harrington, the under-sized Norman Page, and the compassionate Ted Carter. She wonders why she bothers teaching when most students live very small lives but then recalls why she bothers. (read more)