Like the other kids, Pearl goes to school, plays in the woods, and does her chores. But Mama is gone, and doesn't seem to have a thought for the family she's left behind. Escaping from her worries is part of Pearl's routine, like losing herself in books. Until she discovers swing dancing. The music transports Pearl to a whole other world. Then Mama unexpectedly returns, and it isn't the happy occasion she had imagined.