The brick house came next.... There were the
rolling meadows, the stately elms, all yellow and
brown now; the glowing maples, the garden bed
bright with asters, and the hollyhocks rising tall
against the parlor windows....

Life on Sunnybrook Farm with her mother and six brothers and sisters may be chaotic, but Rebecca loves every minute of it. Leaving them all behind and moving in with her two spinster aunts is almost more than Rebecca can bear. She's just not prepared for her rambunctious spirit to be tamed so that she can become the perfect little lady her dignified aunts want her to be. Even though Rebecca remains true to herself, she does eventually become a proper young lady -- but not before having an extraordinary effect on her two aunts and the quiet town of Riverboro.