Delrita has enough to deal with. It's only been a couple of months since Delrita lost both her parents, and living with Uncle Bert and prissie Aunt Queenie isn't easy. They never stop pushing her when she just wants to be left alone.
Aunt Queenie's cantankerous father, Sargeant Roebuck, who spits tobacco into the plants, seems to resent Delrita's very existence, which doesn't make getting over things any easier. It's not until a class project forces Delrita to spend time with the sergeant that she begins to realise that sometimes people aren't always what they seem - and Sergeant Roebuck may be exactly who she needs.