Phoenix Jackson is a redoubtable old lady and thinks nothing of making the long trek on foot from her home in the country all the way to Natchez. She embarks upon this journey twice a year to pick up some medicine for her sick grandson. We get the impression that the old lady must really love her grandson if she's prepared to make such a long, hard journey at her time of life.
As well as the numerous obstacles and dangers she encounters on her journey, Phoenix also has to endure the humiliation of being treated like a charity case when she finally arrives at the clinic. But Phoenix is prepared to go through all this for the sake of her grandson, who suffers from a sore throat after swallowing lye. Lye is an alkali used in the manufacture of food. It's also used in detergent and drain cleaners, and swallowing it in this particular form can be lethal. Phoenix's grandson has clearly had a lucky escape, but he still requires medicine for a throat burned by the swallowing of such a caustic substance.
Phoenix Jackson sets out on her journey in order to get medication for her grandson, who had swallowed lye several years back. Even though the journey is long, Phoenix has made it numerous times and mastered the route to the extent that she could find her way to her destination blindfolded. Along the way, she gets fatigued, and after she sits down to rest she imagines a young boy handing her a piece of cake before coming back to her senses. In yet another instance, she meets a black dog, which she wards off using her walking stick. At one point she loses balance and falls into a ditch. She finally makes it to the hospital, but it takes probing by the nurses for her to recall what had taken her there. She embarks on her journey back home with two nickels, with which she intends to buy her grandson a windmill.
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