Doug Swieteck's most prized possession is a signed baseball cap given to him by his hero, the great Joe Pepitone. It is "the only thing [he] ever owned that hadn't belonged to some other Swieteck before [him]."

Despite his efforts to keep it safe, however, Doug's brother wrestles the cap away from him one night out of sheer meanness, and passes it off to his friends, until eventually, it is lost. Doug tries to convince his father to take him to Yankee Stadium so that he can see Joe Pepitone again and maybe get another hat. His father is a drunk and responds to his son's entreaties characteristically—with his fists.

Mr. Swieteck has a terrible chip on his shoulder, and when he mouths off to his boss one day, he is unceremoniously fired. He comes home and announces to his family that his friend Ernie Eco has found him a better job at Ballard Paper Mill. They will be moving to Marysville, in upstate New York. Doug's mother is not happy that her husband is renewing his acquaintance with Ernie, who is nothing but trouble, and she is worried that they will not be able to notify their oldest son, Lucas, who is serving in Vietnam, about the move. She has no say in the matter however. Three days later, the Swietecks have everything packed and are ready to leave. Before they go, Holling Hoodhood, a classmate of Doug's from Camillo Junior High School, comes by with a gift. It is the New York Yankees jacket that Holling had received from Joe Pepitone on the same day that Doug had gotten his cap.

The new house at Marysville is small and filthy, and Doug immediately christens it "The Dump." After the big items are unloaded from the truck, Doug is left alone to finish with the smaller boxes, while the rest of the family goes to a diner to get something to eat. When Doug is finished, he goes down into the basement, where he hides the precious jacket that had belonged to Joe Pepitone. He then goes out to explore "stupid Marysville" and runs into a girl his age, riding a bicycle. He approaches her insolently, then, realizing that he sounds "like Lucas when he was being the biggest jerk he could be," softens his tone. The girl is going to the library, and for some reason, Doug follows.

The library in Marysville is an impressive building with six marble steps leading toward the grand entrance. Doug, who has never been in a library before, explores the interior and ends up in a big, open upstairs room housing a square table with a glass case on top. Under the glass is a book, which is open to a page with a picture of a bird. There is a tag on the table, which identifies the bird as The Arctic Tern. The bird itself looks like it is falling "into [the] cold green sea," and its eye is "round and bright and afraid." Doug is mesmerized by the picture, which is the most terrifying and beautiful thing he has ever seen.

On Sunday, the weather is scorching. Doug's father and brother eat breakfast, then leave on their own pursuits. Doug stays behind to help his mother clean up after them, and when they are done, they share an amiable meal. Doug thinks his mother's gentle smile is more wonderful than that of any Hollywood actress. He finds himself wanting to draw it and wondering how he ever could. When mother and son finish eating, they tidy up the kitchen...