In Kansas in the year 1937, eleven-year-old Jack Clark faces his share of ordinary challenges: local bullies, his father's failed expectations, a little sister with an eye for trouble. But he also has to deal with the effects of the Dust Bowl, including rising tensions in his small town and the spread of a shadowy illness. Certainly a case of "dust dementia" would explain who (or what) Jack has glimpsed in the Talbot's abandoned barn - a sinister...

Matilda promises her little sister Clemmie an amazing weekend spend playing outside, but the weather is rainy and Clemmie can't bring her new balloon along. Matilda teaches Clemmie all the delights of a wet Saturday.