A small Alabama town in the mid-50's.  A lazy summer afternoon.  No concerns for Fannie Lea except her dreadful name.  No concerns, that is, until she and her brother trespass on Boyd's property.  Then, it's a grip around the waist, a knife to her throat and Boyd's breath, a smell like spoiled cabbage laced with tobacco and licorice.

Soon Flea (short for Fannie Lea) discovers secrets regarding other Sugar Hill residents.  She learns the mystery behind Boyd's locked upstairs room and, eventually, places herself in danger to save a soul more helpless than herself.