Patch, a thirteen-year-old boy in Monta Clare, stands on the kitchen roof and looks toward the St. Francois Mountains. He believes there is a better, brighter world beyond the Ozark Plateau, but the narration immediately undercuts that hope by revealing that later the same morning Patch will be lying wounded and dying in the woods. The beauty of the morning is presented as something Patch will later remember with painful intensity.

Back in his bedroom, Patch dresses in a pirate costume: tricorne, waistcoat, improvised breeches, and a small dagger. The narration explains that later police will study his room and conclude that his fascination with pirates is tied to his having been born with only one eye. His mother has encouraged that fantasy, using stories and costumes to soften a reality that might otherwise feel cruel.

The description of Patch’s room emphasizes poverty and imagination at once. Future investigators will notice the patched-over drywall, the missing closet doors, the broken fan, the working record player, the treasure chest, prop doubloons, replica pistol, firecrackers, and a Playboy magazine. They will also find Patch’s collection of eye patches, from which Patch carefully chooses a purple satin one with a silver star.

Patch briefly thinks of Misty Meyer, imagining he might wear the skull-and-crossbones eye patch on his wedding day if he ever finds the courage to speak to her. He removes his hat, fusses with his light hair, and goes into the kitchen, where his mother, Ivy Macauley, is sitting after a draining night shift. Their exchange is affectionate and playful, showing Patch’s warmth toward her and his pleasure in her laughter.

The chapter then reflects on Ivy’s restless attempts to improve their lives, including a recent trip to Branson to pursue a possible job. Patch remembers being left to wait alone while Ivy chased another chance, driven by her refusal to accept their circumstances. Over breakfast, Patch wonders how hard it is to be a parent and whether poor children sometimes feel like unintended burdens. Even so, he declares, as he often does, that today will be the best day of his life, unaware of the violence that is about to overtake him.