Two linked narratives follow a neglected child, Jessica, and her mother. The first traces Jessica’s daily hardships—cold, hunger, and small mercies from a guarded coffee-stall keeper—leading to moral questioning, her first earnest prayer, and the ways faith and unexpected interventions change her situation. The second narrative examines the mother’s struggles and choices, showing how misfortune and community responses affect family life. Together the stories combine sentimental realism and moral instruction, emphasizing charity, domestic care, and the consolations of faith amid poverty and loss.