Jeanette grows up believing she has been chosen for a special purpose: her mother adopted her to raise a missionary. In their household, friends and enemies occupy separate camps, and everyday decisions become episodes in a struggle between good and evil. Her father watches wrestling and cleans shoes, while her mother directs prayers, lessons, meals and judgments with formidable certainty. The opening chapter follows this family through Sunday broadcasts, hillside walks, church gatherings and encounters with neighbours. Reports of missionary success determine whether lunch includes a roast or merely eggs and toast. A defective corset becomes support for geraniums, and a visiting preacher turns a church banquet into an alarming demonstration of demonic danger. Jeanette's literal understanding of biblical language exposes the comedy and unease beneath adult authority. Beyond home and church, the mill town offers fairs, crowded streets, shopkeepers and sharp distinctions between poorer children and those from the Avenue. A fortune teller predicts that Jeanette will never marry. Her mother's rejection of two friendly women leaves the child puzzled about affection and forbidden relationships. An interwoven fairy tale about a sensitive princess finding useful work echoes questions of purpose and belonging. As lessons drawn from scripture replace ordinary schooling, Jeanette begins noticing gaps between explanations and experience. These pages introduce a childhood shaped by devotion, imagination, constraint and a growing curiosity about the wider world.