The narrator recounts upbringing on a rural property, moving from earliest childhood memories through youth and early adulthood. Descriptions of the landscape and daily labor frame an account of ordinary life and its constraints. Persistent creative ambition and restlessness conflict with narrow social expectations and domestic obligations. Episodes of courtship and intense attachment complicate decisions about loyalty and independence. Interwoven sketches of family and neighbors provide wry, often affectionate portraits of provincial society. The narrative culminates in a choice to pursue an independent path and leave behind familiar confines.