 Most U.S. schools close during the summer, a throw-back to the days when children were needed to help with the annual harvest of crops.The story centers on the life of a twelve-year-old female character named "Rinko Tsujimura," who is sent from her parents' home, in an unnamed California city, for a character-building stay on an aunt's rural farm.Rinko, who is out of school for the summer, is sent to the farm for a month.