The author follows the steps of the Hero’s Journey (a theme developed by Joseph Campbell in his book Hero with a Thousand Faces) in the frame story of Salamanca Tree Hiddle’s journey from Bybanks, Kentucky, to Euclid, Ohio, and on to Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.

The journey of a hero starts with humble beginnings. Sal is an only child of simple parents who live a simple life in Kentucky. She is content with her life (even if her mother is not). When her mother leaves, and Sal learns that she is not coming back, she is faced with the choice of the hero’s journey. Should she accept the fact and stay where she is, or should she deceive herself that there is some way that she can bring her back? She crosses the threshold and the real Hero’s Journey begins when she sets out on the road trip with her grandparents. She has trusty companions, as all heroes do (her grandparents, Phoebe, and Ben) who in one way or another help her on her way. She goes into the belly of the whale when her grandmother is bitten by a snake, which contributes to her eventual death. Sal learns from this and becomes stronger, beginning to accept the fact that those she loves can be lost. She reaches her goal when she stands over the wrecked bus where her mother died and finally accepts the truth when she sees her mother’s grave. She has been changed, even as she returns to her home, ready to recreate a new life without her mother.