Meet Calpurnia Virginia Tate, an eleven-year-old girl growing up in Texas in 1899. As the only daughter in a family of seven children, Callie Vee feels trapped by the expectations that she learn cooking and sewing to become a proper lady. Her life changes when she bonds with her reclusive, scientist grandfather, who introduces her to the wonders of the natural world and the revolutionary ideas of Charles Darwin. Together, they embark on a quest to discover a potentially new plant species, challenging the social norms of their time.