There’s an ornery, unkempt boy in Lucy Brenker’s school who picks on her quiet cousin, Ben. Raggity, as he is called, is a trouble-maker who causes distress for both Lucy and Ben. However, he is not Lucy’s biggest problem.

In her hometown of Cincinnati, a serious drought had affected her father’s steamboat building business, as well as all businesses in the area. If that weren’t bad enough, the lack of river traffic means her recently-ordered piano will not be arriving anytime soon. (A piano had been the desire of her heart for many months.)

It’s a time when neighbor reaches out to neighbor, even when that “neighbor” happens to be a newly-arrived, mysterious, glamorous young lady. A lady with whom Lucy has been forbidden to associate.

How was Lucy to know that both Raggity and Sadie Rose would teach important life lessons not only to her and Ben, but to her entire family, and her community?