Asphodel "Dell" Oletsky narrates as she drives the Uz Dangers basketball team toward Red Willow for a championship game. Their bus, nicknamed "Bedwetter," is on loan from Pastor Robbins, Ellda's unsettling married suitor. Dell, the team captain, conceals from her teammates that she has barely any driving experience, relying on whispered instructions from Valeria. The girls have left notes for their families promising victory.

They stop at a grove of pecan trees, where a farmer shares cool water and shade but cannot offer pecans, having lost most of his crop since the agricultural collapse. He wistfully wishes them luck, remarking that he remembers when life was a game.

Back on Highway 6, they pass an ominous wrecked truck. The wind intensifies into a duster, the sky darkens, and the team mutinies, urging Dell to pull over and shelter. Pazi, Nell, Thelma, and Ellda argue the game will likely be dusted out and isn't worth risking their lives. Dell refuses, insisting that the undefeated team will not forfeit a championship game.

Pushing the gas pedal to the floor, Dell realizes she has driven past the point where a U-turn is possible. The road has narrowed, hemmed in by sand and scrub. In the side mirror she watches a roaring wall of dust rise behind them, about to engulf the bus.