Buckeye

Margaret Anderson (later Salt) was born in 1918 and was dropped off at an orphanage in the small town of Doyle, Ohio, nine months later, under the care of the director, Lydia Vert. The girls at the orphanage were sometimes adopted but more often placed in temporary foster homes. Margaret cycled in and out of several foster homes during her youth. Her experiences in these homes weren’t terrible, but they also weren’t good. Each time Margaret returned to the orphanage, she was pleased to see Lydia again. Lydia did her best not to get attached to the girls, but Margaret was different: The two developed a close bond that only deepened with time.

As the years passed, Margaret’s intelligence became evident to Lydia. Lydia nurtured Margaret’s love of reading and increasingly relied on her help managing the orphanage. By the time Margaret reached adolescence, she had even begun to assist Lydia with the more difficult aspects of the home’s office work.

Lydia can no longer remember how she functioned without Margaret, but both of their lives change after Lydia and her friend Wendell take Margaret to Columbus, Ohio, for her birthday. Margaret begins dreaming of life in the big city.