Pa's homestead thrives, Laura gets her first job in town, blackbirds eat the corn and oats crops, Mary goes to college, and Laura gets into trouble at school, but becomes a certified school teacher.
Living away from home and teaching school is a bit frightening for fifteen-year-old Laura, since most of the students are taller than she is, but every week Almanzo Wilder arrives to take her to her family for the weekend.