Henry lives with his Aunt Lilla in a small wooden house in the Lowcountry of South Carolina. They have a vegetable garden and keep chickens, but Henry is especially drawn to the beehive. Although he's too young to manage the bees, he keeps a close watch on how his aunt handles them.

Aunt Lilla explains that the bees, all females, do a dance to tell their sisters where to find the best flowers. When Henry does a special dance to tell the bees about the purple clover on a neighbor's property, he's sure that it worked. And when it looks like the bees are getting to swarm, Henry decides to help. He dons the beekeeper suit and does a dance to tell the bees that they don't have to leave.

With a palette as golden as honey, changing perspectives, and pictures of bees and a boy, the exquisite ink and watercolor illustrations flow across large double-page spreads. The entire gentle story takes place outside, and the illustrator's respect for nature and the nature of bees glows.