The novel begins with Seq, as an older man, retelling the story of his life and the event of Rosemary, his friend from youth, dying in front of him. Sequoyah comes from a Native American family, precisely from the Cherokee tribe. He grew up without a father, and with an alcoholic mother, who caused an incident that left him with permanent scars on his face. At sixteen, he was put into foster care and eventually ended up with the Troutt family, where he met Rosemary and George. Rosemary is a little older than Seq, and she is also of Native American heritage. George reveals to him that Mr. Troutt secretly keeps a large sum of money in the shed from his illegal business.
Seq is also conflicted about his mother, who is up for a trial to be released on parole. The novel later reveals that his mother's release is denied, and therefore their reunion. Seq becomes attached to Rosemary, and they spend a lot of time together. Rosemary brings him comfort about his mother.
As time passes, Seq notices that Rosemary is behaving strangely, which is further emphasized by her sudden disappearance. The cause of her disappearance is revealed to be an argument with Mr. Troutt, who accused her of stealing some of his hidden money. Nevertheless, she reappears but refuses to leave her room or communicate with anyone.
The novel reaches its end with Rosemary committing suicide in front of Seq after she lets him into her room. Seq is left traumatized with deep psychological wounds after that event. In the final pages, Seq explains how he had a difficult time coping with the death of his best friend but managed to remove himself from the dark place and look forward to the life ahead of him.
