As Pearl lies dying in her bed, she tries to speak to her son Ezra. She remembers when her firstborn son Cody developed croup; she told her husband Beck that she wanted “more children […] some extra” (7) in case Cody died. She had three children: Cody, Ezra, and Jenny. Over the past years, Pearl has been “falling into disrepair” (8). She remembers her family and her struggles to find a husband until—aged 30—she met Beck, a salesman. They met at church (though Pearl was a “nonbeliever” (10)) and married when Beck was transferred by his work. They “moved, and they moved again” (10), which became harder when they had children. With each transfer, she became slightly more disconnected from her family.

In 1944, Beck told Pearl that he “didn’t want to stay married” (11). He promises to send money but “won’t be visiting the children” (12). Beck leaves and Pearl struggles to tell the children. Weeks pass. She tells no one and, when Jenny cries, Pearl says that “there was a war on” (14), and Beck was needed. After a month, Beck sends a note and money but it is not “nearly enough” (14). Pearl takes a cashier job.