Prologue

1969: The primary setting is established in the prologue, which begins by differentiating between a swamp and a marsh. While a marsh is full of life, such as moving rivers and long-legged birds, a swamp is still and dark. Swamps “[know] all about death” with their constant decomposition of organic matter, and it is in the swamp that the body of Chase Andrews is found.

Chapter 1: Ma

1952:  Kya Clark, the youngest of five children, watches her mother walk away from their family one morning. Although her mother has left them before, she has always returned. Before leaving, she had been too quiet at breakfast, her “smile lost.” A bruise had spilled out of a scarf tied around her forehead. When she walks away from the house in her fake alligator skin heels and carrying her blue train case, she doesn’t turn back to wave to Kya. The two oldest sisters cook a meager supper and Kya maintains watch for Ma from their doorstep. The next day, Kya’s brother Jodie, the next youngest and seven years older than her, occupies Kya by playing “’splorers” and allowing Kya to be captain. Jodie wants to take his sister’s mind off Ma but cannot find adequate words. Kya resumes her post, but her mother doesn’t return the next day, either.

Chapter 2: Jodie

1952: Kya’s three oldest siblings drift away from the house and don’t return. Soon, only Jodie and Kya are left. After Pa hits Jodie in the face, Jodie tells Kya that he can’t live there anymore and gives her some basic survival instructions before leaving her alone with Pa. That night, Kya goes to sleep completely alone in the house for the first time in her life. Pa doesn’t return for three days, so Kya tries to manage cooking for herself. On the fourth day, Pa comes home drunk, and later Kya finds him tossing her mother’s belongings, including her precious art, into a fire. She stops him before he destroys everything and then learns to avoid him in order to survive. The next morning, Pa tosses Kya a dollar and some loose coins and tells her that she’s in charge of cooking and housework. Kya walks through mud and deep sand for four miles to reach the grocery store but doesn’t know how to count money.  While in town, she hears a woman yelling at a young Chase Andrews; the woman also casually refers to Kya as “marsh trash.” Kya doesn’t know the date of her birth but decides to celebrate her seventh birthday that autumn evening. She dresses up for the occasion in anticipation of her mother’s return, but she spends the evening surrounded only by gulls. 

Chapter 3: Chase

1969: Two ten-year-old boys, Benji Mason and Steve Long, are exploring the abandoned fire tower when they spot a person lying in the mud below. They call out to him and then notice that his left leg is turned at an unnatural angle and his mouth and eyes are wide open. They recognize the body as Chase Andrews and decide to quickly get the sheriff, who accompanies them back to the scene with Dr. Vern Murphy. The men confirm the identity of the body. They begin to speculate about how Chase has died and why he hasn’t left any footprints in the mud around the fire tower. 

Chapter 4: School

1952: A truancy officer comes to collect Kya and take her to school for the first time ever, convincing her to attend by telling Kya about the free meal she will receive there. Kya puts on...