Birdie Boyer is ten years old and full of optimism and love of life. She and her parents, three brothers, and two sisters have just moved to the area from northern Florida when the story opens. She is excited to be in a new place and is hoping to make new friends. Initially she is disappointed when she meets her closest neighbors, the Slaters.

The Boyers are a hard-working family whose members love one another and try to be kind to others. The Slaters, on the other hand, are lazy, dirty, and unkempt. The father goes on drunken binges, and the older boys beat up the schoolteacher. Mrs. Slater does the best she can with a husband and sons she cannot control. Her twelve-year-old son, Shoestring, is at times vindictive but often seems regretful for the behavior of his family.

The feud that ensues...