In 1949, Anya is a blindness woman who was always taken care of by her mother. Anya copes with her loneliness by collecting bells, a situation which becomes worse when her mother dies. Now middle-aged and alone, Anya befriends a 12-year-old delivery boy, Scott Rhymes (Mason Gamble). Scott is considered "slow", though later it is revealed that he is dyslexic (a disorder not commonly understood at that time). Anya teaches him to read Braille, which Scott rapidly learns, and the two become close friends.