The story begins on November 22, 1963, the day President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. As the news spreads, the town of Paterson, New Jersey, reacts. El Building, the usually noisy home of Elena and many other newcomers from Puerto Rico, falls silent as the residents begin a shocked mourning period. Elena and her classmates at P.S. 13 are sent outside for gym class, where Elena jumps rope with the other girls. Gail and her other Black classmates taunt Elena for turning the rope slowly, and Elena cries from the cold and her dislike of life in Paterson. The only exception to her dislike of school and the city is Eugene, a boy at her school who moved into the house next door to El Building over the summer. His house and yard are visible from Elena’s apartment, and before he moved in, she used to watch the lives of the elderly Jewish couple who lived there and tended to flowers in the yard. After the old man died, the woman moved out and the house was empty until Eugene’s family arrived. Eugene’s father mowed the yard, killing the flowers, and there is no more family life to observe at the kitchen table. However, Elena loves watching Eugene sit at the table to read.

When school starts in the fall, Elena hopes Eugene will be in her classes, but he is in the honors classes Elena is not allowed to take. Even though she is an excellent student, Elena’s first language is Spanish so she may not take honors classes. Nevertheless, Elena finds ways to be near Eugene, and they begin to talk and get to know each other. Elena’s mother, who has become concerned about Elena’s morality now that she is a teenager, notices her behavior changing and accuses her of being infatuated with Eugene. She and Elena’s father dream of moving the family to a suburb where they can have a house with a yard. Their dreams remind Elena of their stories of life in Puerto Rico. Elena has only one memory of Puerto Rico, a trip back for her grandmother’s funeral. While her parents talk about retiring to Puerto Rico, Elena plans to go to college in the U.S. and become a teacher. However, her attraction to Eugene makes her focus on the present rather than the future. She daydreams about going into the house next door. Eugene’s home state of Georgia seems glamorous to Elena because she is reading Gone with the Wind, and she imagines asking him about life there. Elena reflects on their similar status at school as outsiders, where she is teased for being Puerto Rican and he is made fun of for his Southern accent.

The story shifts back to the day of Kennedy’s assassination. Mr. DePalma, the P.E. teacher with a reputation for dealing with the most difficult students, sobs as he lines the students up after their outside exercise time. He tells the students that the president is dead. They do not know how to react, but they take the opportunity to grab their bags and leave school early. The town is quiet in a way Elena finds eerie. People speak quietly and no horns sound in traffic. When Elena arrives at El Building, her mother is watching the TV and crying. Although Elena wants to feel sad about Kennedy’s death, she is happy and excited because she plans to go to Eugene’s house to study with him and then go to the library. She peeks into his kitchen from her apartment and looks forward to sitting at the table with him. She changes her clothes, puts on lipstick, and gathers her books. When she goes to tell her mother she is leaving, her mother argues that she should come to church instead out of respect for the president. When Elena leaves anyway, her mother tells her that she will ultimately be disappointed.

Walking to Eugene’s house, Elena reflects on the layout of Paterson. Little houses are next to large apartment buildings like El Building, a reflection of the waves of immigrants who have come to the city and changed it. She knocks on the green door of the house, and Eugene’s mother opens it only a crack, demanding what she wants in an unfriendly way. Elena explains that Eugene invited her. His mother asks if she lives in El Building. When Elena says she does, Eugene’s mother says that she cannot come in to meet Eugene. Her voice is sweet, which stuns Elena as she tells her Eugene shouldn’t make friends with people in Paterson because they will leave soon. Elena stands still in shock at the refusal, until Eugene’s mother becomes angry with her. Elena turns to leave and hears the door shut behind her. Elena goes home to an empty apartment. When her parents return, late at night, they discuss their sadness over Kennedy’s death. Meanwhile, Elena is also heartbroken, but for her own loss of her dream of a relationship with Eugene. She pretends to be sleeping when her mother checks on her. In the final moments of the story, she watches the snow fall in the streetlight, knowing it will turn grey on the ground.

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