Elnora lives by the Linderlost, a great swamp in Indiana, neglected by her depressed widowed mother. Her high school days are a trial, as the other girls make fun of her rustic clothes and apparent poverty. But her love of the great outdoors comes to her aid, as she manages to make money by collecting and selling butterflies and moths. Her life becomes more interesting when a young man comes to lodge with them, however he is already engaged, so she has to settle for friendship and a shared love