In 1930's Appalachia, Dahlia Harrell struggles with grown-up issues like freedom, fairness, and friendship. When her brother Charlie comes down with Scarlet Fever, Dahlia and the rest of the family are quarantined. That spoiled Rosie Blevins tries to take advantage of Dahlia's absence to steal her one true friend, Ruby Walker. When Dahlia's uncle Ennis Cain, the "Travelling Troubadour," arrives in Lothian Mill, trouble isn't far behind.