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
All By His Lonesome
Matt's got a lot of alone time on his hands. His dad's headed back to Massachusetts to pick up his mom, sister, and the new baby, and Matt is left behind to guard home base. It's a little lonely at first, but Matt's not singing the blues for long, and soon he's singing a happy tune in his days of household chores, hunting, and planting. The stage is officially set for the rest of our story.
Rising Action
Beehive Brawl
Matt's happy-go-lucky attitude swirls down the toilet (if he had one, that is) after the arrival of Ben. The wanderer not only helps himself to Matt's hospitality and dinner, but he takes off with his rifle. Adding insult to injury, Matt scuffles with a beehive, landing himself in a venom-induced coma.
Saknis and his grandson, Attean, watch the beehive brawl and jump into the action in time to save his life. After that, Matt and Attean are forced to meet regularly for reading lessons, though this quickly turns into hunting/survival lessons for Matt, thanks to Attean's brainiac ways. Though they spend a bunch of time together, these two are hardly friends—it's a relationship of toleration.
The boys' partnership comes in handy, though, when they come toe-to-toe with an angry mama bear. Working together, the boys manage to bring the bear down before it snacks on their insides. Phew. Such an act deserves a mighty party at the Indian camp, and Matt is invited. But all is not as rosy as it seems, and Attean tells Matt that his grandmother is not a fan of him, his presence, or any white people for that matter. Bummer.
Climax
Rescuing Rover
Everything keeps on keeping on until we hit a turning point—otherwise known as the climax.
Matt stumbles upon Attean's good-for-nothing pooch in the woods, and he's in a steel trap. Not good. The dog happens to hate Matt, so he can't get near him without losing a hand, but this doesn't deter Matt from saving the pup. He runs to the Indian camp to ask for help, but once he arrives Attean and his grandfather are not around… so Matt has to seek out Attean's grandmother. Gulp. Their interaction goes pretty smoothly, though, and thanks to Granny and Attean's sister, he frees the dog.
Sounds simple enough, right? Turns out this act is a big deal. Attean, his sister, and especially his grandmother are flabbergasted. Who would put himself in danger for a fleabag dog? Thanks to this act, Attean's grandmother finally accepts Matt, and even invites him back to the camp. Matt feels like he belongs.
Falling Action
The End of an Era
But it's not time for the closing credits yet. Even though Matt feels more accepted by the Indians, life is tough. His family hasn't returned yet, and they probably should have by now, and then Attean finds his manitou and becomes a man, so their carefree days are over. To top it all off, the Indians are leaving. For good.
Attean and Saknis come by to invite Matt to join them, and Attean calls Matt his "white brother," but despite this super touching moment, Matt can't leave his family's land. He knows he needs to keep waiting for his family, and trusts that they will arrive, so though it pains him, he bids farewell to his friends. Attean and Matt give each other parting gifts, and it seems these boys who once only tolerated each other are officially BFFs for life.
Resolution
Wrapping Things Up
Matt's decision to stay on his family's land causes three things to happen that wrap up the story in a nice little package:
• He earns Attean's lifelong respect for staying true to his dad.
• He's ready and waiting when his family shows up. That's right—they finally make it. Happy day.
• He hears his dad tell him how proud he is of him, and it makes him feel like a trillion bucks.
And so though Matt misses his friend, he knows he's made the right decision, and when the book ends, he is happily at home with his family once more. Yay.