The tracing of one Louisiana family’s roots through four generations is a journey that can be charted by the books they have shared and loved.

The journey begins in 1939 with Rose, who moves with her mother and siblings from rural Texas to live with the grandfather they've never met in the Louisiana bayou. Rose finds a connection with this strange community through her love of books and by driving a bookmobile. A decade later, Merle Henry, Rose's son, is more passionate about trapping a mink than about reading, although there is a place in his heart for Old Yeller. In 1973, Merle Henry's daughter, Annabeth, feels torn between reading childish fairytales and a crush on her own real-life knight in shining armor. And in the present day, Annabeth's son, Kyle, finds himself in a bind—he hates reading, but the only summer job he can get is at the library.