The story’s main protagonist is 14-year-old Ida. An eighth grader, Ida dreams of becoming a teacher, and when Miss Fletcher leaves the school to take care of her ailing mother, Ida fills in for her at the schoolhouse. It’s a daring choice—if the school board finds out, she’ll be in big trouble—but Ida is determined to get through the school year and advance to high school. She takes on a heavy workload that includes teaching the other students at school, grading papers, doing chores at her family’s farm, and studying, when she can, for her exit exam. Ida is smart, dedicated, industrious, and conscientious: If anyone can do all of this, she can.

The tasks she takes on are adult-level, and Ida must grow rapidly as a person to succeed. Driving herself and Felix to and from the schoolhouse, instructing children, keeping them orderly, guarding their secret from opponents, negotiating with county school inspector Miss Sedgewick, and confronting angry farmer Mr. Bixler—these challenges require grown-up skills. Ida learns quickly from mistakes, treats people respectfully, and speaks with honest sincerity, assets that many adults can’t muster. Her biggest challenge, though, is herself: She doubts that she can succeed, and much of the stress she feels comes from the fear that she won’t make it and that her future dreams will come crashing down.