Daring ten-year-old Velma Jean walks barefoot over sandburs, swims in the new horse tank, even stands up to Alfred the Bull. Every day Velma Jean does something that amazes her siblings. To her sister Ruby Jane, she is the bravest of them all. But when a tornado sets down near the edge of their farm, Velma Jean is afraid to seek shelter in the dark storm cellar. It is Ruby Jane who stands up to the weather and brings her sister to safety.