Nobody would consider this outstanding novel a standard “Cinderella’s story," but the soul of a seventeen-year-old Novalee Nation, who is the main heroine, is exactly like Cinderella’s life. At the beginning of the novel, the author describes Novalee’s unhappy life, which is full of troubles and disillusionment, but at the same time Billie shows Novalee’s naked and childish faith and strength of will. All her life she has to live in motorhomes together with her bored and egotistical boyfriend Willy Jack, because her wanton mother changed her sweet and little daughter for a boyfriend Fred, who left Novalee’s mother after some years. It creates the impression that Novalee’s life is destroyed, but God presents with a little hope for happiness. She is pregnant and only her child will save her from solitude.
One day Novalee decides to change her life for better and persuades her boyfriend to move from Tennessee to California. Superstitious Novalee believes that the number seven makes her life unhappy and brings only bad luck, and makes sure that the number of their car doesn’t have sevens and she starts their way to California together with Willy. On the way her baby begins to kick in her belly, but it makes no difference to callous Willy. Physical need forces Novalee to stop the car in Sequoyah and she runs at breakneck pace to Wal-Mart at once. Using the toilet, she buys some goods in the same Wal-Mart, but when she gets $ 7.77 in change, her subconsciousness begins to panic. Novalee knows she cannot escape bad luck and she runs out the street immediately. Seeing her camera on the car park she realizes that Willy has abandoned her alone in a strange country without money and baggage.
Novalee accepts her situation and determines to stay in Sequoyah, where she will find her desired happiness shortly after. Returning to Wal-Mart she doesn’t expect to make the acquaintance of Moses Whitecotton, a man, who works there. Suddenly they enter into conversation about children and Moses insists on giving the most prominent name for Novalee’s baby. As Moses takes amazing pictures for Wal-Mart, Novalee notices an excellent camera at once and she grows interested in this area of activity. After a little while a strange but well-wishing woman comes up to Novalee on the street and begins to tell different and odd stories about Novalee. As it appears she is Thelma “Sister” Husband, an inhabitant of Sequoyah, and she mistakes Novalee Nation for her friend Ruth Ann Mott. Thelma promises Novalee they will surely meet each other again and leaves her near Wal-Mart.
Worried Novalee doesn’t know where to go and what to do, but her penetrating mind prompts her to stay in Wal-Mart and live there for a while writing down all prices of goods, which she unlawfully uses in Wal-Mart. The next day Novalee notices that her Buck Eye Tree, which was given as a present for good luck by Benny Goodluck, begins to wither and she visits a local library to look through all books about plants. She meets a handsome but odd librarian named Forney Hull, but despite his oddity Forney shows his generosity having broken the window of Wal-Mart and saving Novalee when she begins to have birth pangs.
Novalee is very glad to hear the news about the birth of her daughter and, remembering Moses’ advice, she gives her daughter the name Americus. Lexie Coop, who will be Novalee best friend, is astonished at this unusual name and says Novalee that all media of Sequoyah hunts her because of the fact that a seventeen and pregnant girl lived in Wal-Mart by stealth. Novalee is surprised when her mother appears in the hospital, but her wanton mammy hunts only for money and fame. Becoming alone without support Novalee continues to believe in bad luck, but Thelma takes back Novalee to her house, where they live a full life. Novalee’s life is returning to normal; she plants her tree near Thelma’s house and good luck is slowly returning to her, and her daughter Americus has become much attached to Forney, because she feels paternal love.
Life doesn’t have only perfect moments and sometimes it separates people from family and friends forever. The frightful storm is impeding having destroyed a lot of houses, families, dreams and hopes in Sequoyah, and unfortunately Novalee loses her best friend and “second mother” Thelma, who leaves a legacy of a lot of money and land for Novalee and Americus. Surely this piece of news forces Novalee to cry with joy and she understands that Thelma loved her like her own daughter. Having built a new house and at the same time a new life, Novalee cannot stop thinking about Forney, who has changed her soul and made Americus’s life colorful. He is not like Willy Jack, who abandoned Novalee and couldn’t make a career of a musician, because he always tried to find a royal road to solve his problems.
The novel has a happy end because Novalee has finally found her native place where her heart is. There, Novalee regains her love and good luck, which she didn’t have all her life.
