Lost at a highway rest stop on a trip to Maine, a kitten is chased by a dog, injured in a fall, and attacked by a herring gull. Exhausted, she is rescued by two innkeepers, who-with some reluctance-agree to take her home to Rockport. To this day, Pumpkin rules the roost at Strawberry Hill, greeting guests, walking them down to the water's edge, and generally entertaining both her adopted "parents" and their clients.