Summary

The novel opens with a Prologue dated March 18, 1937, in New London, Texas. The author begins by describing the scene around the New London school. Lights of all kinds have been gathered at the site. There are many men present, some with children who attend this school and others who are just helping. They are working through the rubble of the school building in the hope of finding survivors. They move every piece of rubble from the school to a different place. They place pieces of bodies in baskets to be identified later. The Red Cross is present, providing food, coffee, and cigarettes. When it begins to rain, the men continue the grim task. Just before dawn, every piece of rubble has been moved, “sifted and scoured for survivors and for remains” (3). Volunteers rush to care for the bodies. Parents search for signs of...