The story of To Kill a Mockingbird takes place in Alabama in the Depression, and is told by the main character, a little girl named Scout Finch.

Her father, Atticus Finch, is a lawyer with high moral Scout, her brother, Jem, and their friend Dill are interested by local rumors about a man named Boo Radley who lives in their neighborhood, but never steps out of his house. Legend has it that he once stabbed his father in the leg wit a pair of scissors, and he is made out to be some kind of rare monster. Dill is originally from Mississippi but spends his summers in Maycomb, at a house near Scout and Jem’s.Throughout the story the kids are curious to know more about Boo, and so they create little drama acts which tell the events of his life from what they have heard through the grapevine. They slowly begin moving closer to the house itself, which is said to be haunted. They try to leave notes from Boo on his windowsill, but are caught by their father, who firmly reprimands them. Then they also tried sneaking to the house at night and looking through the windows. However, Boo’s brother thought he heard a prowler so he fired shots from his gun.

The children get away unharmed, though Jem loses his pants in the gate. When he returns, his ripped pants have been folded and roughly sewn up. Other mysterious things happen to the Finch children. A certain tree near the Radley house has a hole in it which little presents are often left from them such as pennies and gum.

A little while after the children leave a note for the giver of these gifts, they return only.