In the fall, Sarah, a lass of 11 or 12, and her mother arrive at their Cape Cod summer house to meet the plumber and get the place ready for winter. Sarah asks her mother about the winter people, those who live in the house while the family's gone. Her mother dismisses the idea, and when Sarah finds a tube of unfamiliar lipstick, her mother declares that it probably belongs to Sarah's father's girlfriend -- Sarah's parents have recently separated. Sarah asks the plumber too about the winter people, And, on their way out of town, she asks Mr. Geary, the general store owner. In a world where divorce and other sad things happen, can there be winter people?