Joanne Pankow

A lonely girl, who longs to escape her neglectful family and stultifying town, forges a bond with a mentally disabled man, which others aim to break.

Frankie Addams, 12-year-old tomboy, feels disconnected from the world. Frankie's mother died when she was born, and her father is a distant, uncomprehending figure. Her closest companions are the family's African American maid, Berenice Sadie Brown, and her six-year-old cousin, John Henry West. She has no friends in her small Southern town and dreams of going away with her brother and his bride-to-be on their honeymoon.