One Came Home

One Came Home (2013) by Amy Timberlake is a middle grade historical mystery set in 1871 Wisconsin. It follows a 13-year-old girl, Georgie Burkhardt, who is on a search to discover the truth about her older sister, Agatha, after their town declares she is dead. Georgie’s quest challenges her both physically and mentally as she begins to reexamine what she thought she knew about herself, her sister, and her community. 

One Came Home was awarded a Newbery Honor and an Edgar Award for Best Juvenile Mystery. It was also named a Best Book of the Year by Kirkus Reviews and NPR. 

This guide is based on the 2013 e-book edition published by Alfred A. Knopf.

Content Warning: The source material and this guide feature depictions of graphic violence and death.

Plot Summary

One Came Home is set in Placid, a small town in 1871 Wisconsin. It opens with the novel’s 13-year-old protagonist, Georgie Burkhardt, attending her older sister Agatha’s funeral, though Georgie is convinced the body in the coffin isn’t Agatha’s. Recently, Mr. Olmstead, a prominent local businessman, started courting Agatha. However, Georgie saw her sister kissing the sheriff’s son, Billy, and she reported this to Mr. Olmstead, who broke things off with Agatha. Agatha went missing soon after, and the sheriff found her mutilated remains outside the next town, which is called Dog Hollow. Though the corpse was wearing Agatha’s dress, wild animals got to the remains, and the face was unrecognizable. Georgie refuses to believe that it is Agatha and vows to learn the truth.

Georgie secretly takes items from her family’s store to pack for her journey to Dog Hollow. She intends to travel there by herself to investigate. However, she can’t find a horse, so she turns to Billy for help since his family raises horses. Georgie makes arrangements to rent one from him for her trip, but when Billy arrives at the designated time, he is riding a horse and towing a mule for Georgie. He has decided to accompany her, to Georgie’s annoyance. 

Georgie and Billy travel through the nearby forest, which was recently the site of the biannual wild pigeon nesting. The nesting brought huge crowds to Placid, and Georgie is amazed at the number of abandoned nests that linger. In the forest, she becomes separated from Billy and ends up facing down a cougar. Though Georgie is an expert shot, her fear causes her to drop her gun. Unable to dismount the mule to retrieve it, she throws her belongings at the cougar until it leaves. Billy arrives and leads Georgie to a place by the river to camp, where Georgie is only able to calm herself because of Billy’s comforting presence.

As the two journey on, Georgie begins to notice how attractive Billy is: He is handsome and competent. When they reach Dog Hollow, Georgie catches him sending a telegram back home. When she confronts him, he admits that Georgie’s grandfather knew about the trip and he paid Billy to accompany her, believing the journey would help Georgie come to terms with Agatha’s death. Georgie is furious that Billy tricked her, but she still refuses to give up on Agatha. After asking around town, she learns that Agatha’s companions were from the Garrow farm outside of town. However, when Georgie questions them, they claim not to know anything. Disheartened and starting to accept that her sister is truly dead, Georgie and Billy head toward home down an overgrown road.

When the two stop to make camp, Georgie awkwardly proposes marriage to Billy. When he gently lets her down, Georgie goes for a walk to deal with her embarrassment. She accidentally discovers a cave full of counterfeiting equipment. She and Billy realize the equipment belongs to the Garrows. They pack up and flee, fearing for their safety, but Mr. Garrow and his companion find them shortly after sunrise. The men tie up Billy and beat him while Georgie hides with her rifle. Though she has a clear shot, she can’t bring herself to kill Mr. Garrow, recalling her own sorrow when she thought Agatha died. Instead, she scares the men off with a series of nonlethal shots.

Billy is badly wounded, but Georgie manages to get him back to the main road, where they run into Mr. Olmstead, who has come looking for them. He takes Billy to the hospital, reports the counterfeiters to the authorities, and tells Georgie that her grandfather died. Georgie returns home to grieve with her family. She still hasn’t managed to solve Agatha’s disappearance. As life settles back down, Georgie takes on more responsibility at the family store and realizes that she has belonged at home all along. Some weeks later, a letter arrives from Agatha. Agatha explains that she took the train to the city and enrolled at the university; she wanted an education—not marriage—and realized that Placid couldn’t offer her that. Georgie wants to be angry that Agatha left her, but she recognizes that Agatha needs to live her life according to her wishes. Georgie instead chooses to be relieved that Agatha is still alive.