Content Warning: This section contains descriptions of mental illness, children in emotional distress, and discussions of mental illness inheritance.

On a hot summer night, 12-year-old Della struggles to sleep while her baby sister, Mylie, sleeps soundly. Della leaves bed and finds her mother awake in the kitchen. Mama sits at the kitchen table with a knife, prying seeds out of sliced watermelon. Della’s father grows watermelons on his farm, and watermelon is one of Della’s favorite treats. It takes Della two attempts to get her mother’s attention. Della doesn’t want to know more about what her mother is doing; she’s worried what Mama will say. Mama expresses concerns about Della and Mylie eating the watermelon, possibly ingesting a seed, and getting sick. Della wishes she hadn’t gotten up.

Della gets water from Mama’s special filter and puts her glass in the sink. Della wishes she could keep her water glass around, but Mama has a thing about germs.

Della tries to encourage her mother to go to bed too, but Mama refuses. Mama seems forgetful and again asks why Della is up. Mama won’t leave the watermelon, insisting she needs to take care of it.