On the last day of his life, William Chesley Shaw is haunted, figuratively and literally, by his past. He had been the superintendent of the New London, Texas school district on March 18, 1937, when, due to a gas leak from an improperly installed pipe beneath the school, the New London school exploded. The children of the New London school, led by Amelia (the girl in the white pinafore), now haunt Shaw. Hurt and confused, Amelia cannot move on until she can forgive herself for her mistakes on that fateful day and Shaw for his leading to the tragedy.
