In April 1880, 14-year-old Hanna Edmunds is on her way with her father to a newly constructed railroad town named LaForge in Dakota Territory of the United States. They travel in a horse-drawn wagon with their possessions and supplies. In third-person point of view limited to Hanna’s perspective, the narrative recounts Hanna and Papa’s journey from Cheyenne weeks ago, camping every night on the way to LaForge, and that she has had no real home for three years. They stop for the night and Papa builds a fire, then leaves to hunt a rabbit. Hanna plans to make a soup of codfish, onions, and potatoes but sits for a while to draw dresses inspired by the ones in an old copy of the Godey’s Lady’s Book magazine. Hanna is skilled in sewing and wants to try dress design as soon as she can. When she stands up to fetch the spider (a small cast iron vessel on three legs), she sees a group of six Sioux mothers and daughters. Hanna is caught off guard but recovers quickly and asks them if they would like some soup.