is set in Philadelphia, which is the capital of the newly formed
United States at the time. Daily life is disturbed by the introduction of yellow fever into the
city during a very hot summer. It becomes an epidemic, and every family must decide whether to
stay and hope that they are spared or flee to the country, where most people are still
healthy.
Mattie is the main character, and her mother and grandfather run a
successful coffee house. Mattie is thirteen and prefers not to work very hard. Her mother and
Eliza, their cook, indulge her most of the time. Her grandfather adores her and sees no fault in
Mattie, no matter what she does or doesn't do.
The first major event
involves Polly, their housemaid, who dies of the fever. Polly is also a friend of Mattie's and
of a similar age, and...
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