Lanesha’s apprehension drives her to cook food and board windows. On Saturday, the mayor orders an evacuation, but Lanesha and Mama Ya-Ya do not have a vehicle or any money for transportation. Mama Ya-Ya’s agitation and worry become more pronounced her dreams suggest they will weather the storm, but she sees something dark and worrisome after the storm she does not understand. Miss Johnson sends her home with an algebra book for self-study and a warning to leave town. On Friday, Lanesha goes to school, but it has been canceled. The weather reports regarding the storm worsen on Thursday Mama Ya-Ya becomes increasingly upset as she cannot understand her own bad dreams about it.
Lanesha is hopeful for new friends in TaShon and Ginia. A classmate, Ginia, goes with Lanesha to the store, and they walk home together. On Wednesday, Mama Ya-Ya wants Lanesha to get supplies at the store after school. At home, Mama Ya-Ya mentions a storm coming. TaShon saved a dog from the bullies, and Lanesha agrees to harbor the dog, whom TaShon names Spot, at her house. On her walk home, Lanesha rescues TaShon from bullies. Lanesha knows befriending him would only make the teasing he receives worse, because students often call her names like “crazy” or “witch.” On Tuesday, Lanesha stays for an advanced math lesson from Miss Johnson, who tells her she could be an engineer one day and sparks a new interest in bridges.
TaShon is small for his age, quiet, and distracted in school. In English class, Lanesha thinks about fellow classmate TaShon, a boy who lives near her and for whom Mama Ya-Ya also served as midwife. Lanesha has trouble making friends because others do not understand her ability. They appear to her all the time and represent many different time periods and walks of life. The day after her birthday, Lanesha thinks about the ghosts she sees. Mama Ya-Ya knows that Lanesha can see ghosts, including the ghost of her mother who often appears on Mama Ya-Ya’s bed, where she died giving birth to Lanesha. Lanesha is also grateful that Mama Ya-Ya teaches her about signs and symbols in dreams and nature. She then retreats to her recently painted bedroom, where she reflects with gratitude on Mama Ya-Ya’s love and care, since her Uptown family members (relatives of her mother) do not acknowledge her. At the end of the day, Lanesha helps the elderly woman to bed. The story opens on Lanesha’s 12th birthday, a late-August Sunday on which she and Mama Ya-Ya pick flowers, make jambalaya, and share birthday cake. Mama Ya-Ya is an 82-year-old woman who never married and has no family besides Lanesha. Lanesha was raised by Mama Ya-Ya, the midwife who attended her birth. Her mother died giving birth to her, and she does not know her father.
Lanesha is a young Black American girl who lives in the Ninth Ward neighborhood of New Orleans, Louisiana.
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