The visit of the traveling Preacher Man to his small North Carolina town gives new impetus to thirteen-year-old Peter's struggle to reconcile his own deeply felt religious belief with the beliefs and non-beliefs of his family and friends.

In the not-so-pretty house where she lives with her dad and bunny Snowball, Annie plans to make some changes in the decor with the help of her next-door neighbor and cousin Henry and his big dog Mudge.

Poppleton goes to a movie alone, makes a quilt with his friends, and ends up eating a banana split instead of taking a bath.