The first chapter begins on the morning that Izzy Richardson sets her family house on fire. As her mother, Mrs. Richardson, is the only one at the house at the time, she exits the burning house and waits on the lawn for the other members of her family to come home and assess the damage. As Mr. Richardson makes his way back, the children—Lexie, Trip, and Moody—return home one by one, but Izzy is nowhere to be found. Lexie and Trip speculate that Izzy is responsible for the fire based on her absence from the scene and past erratic behavior. This suspicion is confirmed by the fire department’s eventual determination that the fire was set from inside the house as if a match had been lit in each room. The damage to the house is not irreparable in the end, but it does incite conversation among the children about what they should do if they are to lose all their possessions in the fire.

The night before, Mrs. Richardson sees Mia Warren and her daughter, Pearl, drive up to her house to drop off the keys of the house they were renting from the family. After leaving the keys in the Richardsons’ mailbox as the last step of ending their lease, Mia and Pearl quietly drive away without saying goodbye.