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This gripping story, written in sparse first-person, free-verse poems, is the compelling tale of Billie Jo's struggle to survive during the dust bowl years of the Depression. With stoic courage, she learns to cope with the loss of her mother and her grieving father's slow deterioration. There is hope at the end when Billie Jo's badly burned hands are healed, and she is able to play her beloved piano again.

我叫比莉乔，出生在20世纪初美国一个尘埃漫天的沙州小镇。 这里曾是一望无垠的美丽草原，可后来，一片片金黄的麦田取代了草原的色彩。我们所有人的生命也变了色调——因为那逐渐肆孽的黄色尘暴。 
十四岁那年，红色的火球吞噬了我挚爱的妈妈。我不知道那是爸爸的错还是我的错。如果妈妈的手还能再环住我的肩，或是拨拨我的头发，或是用轻柔的声音在我床边唱歌给我听，我想不管生活是多么艰苦，我都能用我受伤的手，继续快乐地弹着钢琴。 我每日都在渴望，渴望走出漫天尘沙的日子。然而当那一夜，我跳上一列朝西的火车想寻找远方的新希望，我才发现，我已经拥有了世界上*好的东西——家。