Content Warning: This section of the guide includes a discussion of physical assault, domestic abuse, murder, suicide, and racism.

It is morning when the Duke leads his eight-year-old daughter Sallie Kincaid to the carriage house for a surprise. There, he gifts her a wagon with “DEFIANCE COASTER” (8) written on its sides. Sallie is speechless with happiness. They take the wagon out for a drive, with Sallie nestled between her father’s legs. Gradually, they pick up speed, heading toward the stone pillars at the driveway’s end. At the Duke’s signal, Sallie applies the brake, and they skid to a halt near Crooked Run Road.

This first ride on the Defiance Coaster proves so exhilarating that it makes Sallie want to become “the fastest girl in the world” (7). During summer vacation, she practices driving the wagon, which keeps her out of the Big House. Sallie’s stepmother, Jane, likes this because she considers Sallie a bad influence on her younger half-brother, Eddie. He is smart and sweet yet sickly, so Jane does not let him go outdoors much.

Impressed with Sallie’s progress, the Duke proudly tells her skill with the wagon is “what makes [her] a Kincaid” (12).