In the first story written about the Logans, Papa is away laying tracks for the railroad, food is hard to come by, and the only possible source of income is the ancient, beautiful, beloved pine grove outside young Cassie's window. When Mr. Andersen bullies Big Ma, the family matriarch, into selling the trees for lumber, Cassie and her brothers fear their "whispering pines" will be lost for good. They take desperate measures to preserve what is theirs. A tense showdown between the family and Mr. Andersen vividly captures the racial tensions and oppression that pervaded life for African Americans during the Depression.