The novel centers on the mischievous orphan Tom Sawyer, who lives in the quaint village of St. Petersburg, Missouri under the care of his kind Aunt Polly along with his ill-natured brother Sid and angelic cousin Mary. As a collection of stories, the novel is loosely structured, but follows the arc of Tom's transformation from a rebellious boy who longs to escape authority to a responsible community member committed to respectability. Tom's first adventure occurs as a result of him playing hooky, stealing snacks, sneaking in late, and various other misdeeds. As punishment, Aunt Polly tells him to whitewash her fence on a Saturday. Tom convinces his friends that whitewashing the fence is actually a privilege, and gets them to not only do the work for him but to pay him with various trinkets for the opportunity. On his way home he develops a crush on the new girl in town, Becky Thatcher.