The novel opens as Aunt Hager Williams, looking out the doorway of her home in Stanton, Kansas, predicts a storm is coming. She is at home with her only grandchild, Sandy Rogers (a nine-year-old boy), waiting for Annjelica (Annjee), her daughter and Sandy’s mother, to return from work. When Hager spots the cyclone, she grabs her grandson’s hand so the two can shelter at a neighbor’s house. It’s too late, however. With Sandy’s help, the two manage to shut the door of the house against the strong wind.

After the storm is over, they emerge to discover that the cyclone ripped the front porch from the house. As they walk through the neighborhood and talk to their neighbors, they discover damage and injuries everywhere. The Gavitts, a kind white family, were killed during the storm. Sandy slips away from his grandmother and sees a piano that was carried to the side of the road. When he comes back, Hager—known for her good way with sick and distraught people—has left to care for the niece of the Gavitts. Madame de Carter, their neighbor, sends Sandy to sit on the steps while his grandmother ministers to the young woman.