Most good stories start with a fundamental list of ingredients: the initial situation, conflict, complication, climax, suspense, denouement, and conclusion. Great writers sometimes shake up the recipe and add some spice.
Exposition (Initial Situation)
Escape from Pittman County
The novel's exposition begins with Taylor's descriptions of her childhood and adolescence in Pittman County, Kentucky. Growing up poor in a rural area, Marietta Greer's biggest dream was to get out into the world without getting tied down by a husband and babies like her sixteen-and-pregnant classmates.
But when she finally makes her break away from her childhood home, things don't go exactly as planned. Sure, she takes on a new name and starts heading west, but doesn't escape the way she thought she would. Instead, she enters the orbit of another family's hardship and ends up with a child on her hands.
Rising Action (Conflict, Complication)
It Takes A Village—er, City?
Taylor and Turtle settle into a new life together in Tucson, Arizona. Yeah, that's definitely a city. Around them, a close-knit community of friends and neighbors begins to form: Mattie, the owner of Jesus Is Lord Used Tires; Lou Ann and Dwayne Ray, their housemates; Edna Poppy and Virgie Mae Parsons, their next-door neighbors; and Estevan and Esperanza, two Guatemalan refugees hanging out in Mattie's home. Together, all of the adults watch over the growth of the little girl, and try to take care of one another, too.
Climax (Crisis, Turning Point)
Into the Terrible Night
Yes, "Into the Terrible Night" is the title of Chapter 12, and we can't think of a better way to describe the crisis that marks the novel's final turning point. At this point in the story, Taylor and Turtle have been together for about seven months, and Taylor has watched Turtle throw off her catatonia and become a happy, healthy, and thriving little kid. But, when Turtle is attacked by a stranger in the park, she reverts back to her earlier state of traumatized silence and withdrawal. Sounds like going into the terrible night to us.
Not only does the attack against Turtle bring on a new state of catatonia—it also sends Taylor into a downward spiral of depression and despair. And as if that weren't enough, the ensuing investigation by the police and social services brings to light the fact that Taylor's claim on Turtle isn't exactly legal. Once and for all, Taylor is forced to decide just how hard she is willing to fight for this little girl who has entered her life.
Falling Action
Ooooo-klahoma!
Faced with the possibility of losing Turtle, Taylor decides to search for the child's real family. If she can prove that Turtle was handed over to her by her actual legal guardians, then she may be able to keep her. Taylor's decision renews her sense of purpose, and lifts her out of her depression. So she, Turtle, Estevan, and Esperanza head for Oklahoma, where Taylor will search for Turtle's family, and Estevan and Esperanza will transfer to a safer sanctuary.
Resolution (Denouement)
Everything's Legal—More or Less
When Turtle's natural family can't be found, Esperanza and Estevan pose as her parents. In front of legal witnesses, they sign the necessary consent forms, and Turtle's "legal" adoption goes through. Esperanza and Estevan arrive at their new safe-house without any trouble, and Taylor and Turtle head home to Tucson with a brand-spanking-new certificate of adoption in hand. For Taylor, Turtle, and The Bean Trees overall, all's well that end's well. It's up to the novel's sequel, Pigs in Heaven, to take the story from there.