Most good stories start with a fundamental list of ingredients: the initial situation, conflict, complication, climax, suspense, denouement, and conclusion. Great writers sometimes shake up the recipe and add some spice.
Exposition
Mail Order Bride
The book starts off by introducing readers to the Witting family—Jacob and his two children, Anna and Caleb, who live on the prairie as farmers. Because Anna and Caleb's mother died shortly after giving birth to Caleb, the children long for a mother figure. As a result, they're utterly delighted when Jacob comes home and tells them that he's placed an ad in the newspaper for a new wife, and that a woman named Sarah from Maine wants to start corresponding with them.
Rising Action
Meeting Sarah
After exchanging letters for a little while, Sarah decides to come visit the Witting family for a month, to see if she can see herself moving out to the prairie. She writes to tell them that she's coming by train, and on the day that she is scheduled to arrive, Jacob rides over to the train station in his horse-drawn wagon. The family slowly gets to know Sarah, even though they're shy around her at first. They learn that she's a pragmatic, hard-working woman who desperately loves the sea and misses her home in Maine during her stay with them. Uh-oh…
Climax
Stormy Weather
Things finally start to come together for the Witting family and Sarah after they have a visit from the neighbor—who also has a mail order bride, Maggie—and Sarah befriends Maggie. Maggie helps Sarah understand that her feelings of loneliness are normal and assures her that she'll come to like it here. One day, a squall blows in and the Witting family takes refuge in the barn with their animals. Sarah manages to make this inconvenient and scary situation into a fun one for all involved, setting up a picnic and sharing an affectionate moment with Jacob for the first time.
Falling Action
Should She Stay or Should She Go Now?
After the squall, the kids are super attached to Sarah and even more worried she'll decide to leave. They keep watching her for signs. Sometimes she seems like she's putting down roots (literally, as in the case of planting her own garden), but other times she just talks on and on about the ocean and how much she misses it. When Sarah learns how to drive the horse and wagon and decides to go into town by herself, the kids completely lose it: They're convinced she's leaving them forever.
Resolution
Home Sweet Home
After a long day of excruciating waiting and watching the empty road, Sarah finally returns. The kids are super relieved and tell her why they've been worried. She responds by letting them know that although she misses her hometown, she'd miss them even more. Then she shows them what she bought in town: colored pencils in the color of the sea, so that she can draw pictures of what she misses about Maine. In the end, the Witting family is content and complete—and getting ready for a wedding. Yay.