Eleven-year-old Alice has just moved to Georgia with her mom and little brother, and barely has time to unpack before she gets herself in trouble. When she’s caught eavesdropping on a phone call on the party line, her mum sends her next door to apologise to their new neighbour, Miss Millie, a tiny ninety-two-year-old black woman.

To make up for her rudeness, Alice agrees to walk Clarence, Miss Millie’s blind dog. But he refuses to go anywhere without Miss Millie, so the three of them soon develop a daily routine: walking together, while Miss Millie shares wisdom and stories from her long life.

Alice is fascinated, learning about Miss Millie’s parents being slaves and Miss Millie living most of her life in the segregated South. Alice, who is white and from a mostly white Ohio town, has grown up largely unaware of the racism that’s still prevalent in the world, and her eyes are opened by many of Miss Millie’s experiences.

When she’s not with Miss Millie, Alice spends her time plotting to get her parents back together - she’s hardly heard from her dad since he left the family a year before - but it’s a wasted effort. Fortunately, her growing bond with Miss Millie eases her sadness, broadens her understanding of life, and gives her a true, unbreakable friendship she’ll never forget.