Content Warning: This section of the guide includes mentions of child abduction, abuse, sexual assault, predatory behavior, mental illness, violence against women, domestic violence, abortion, and suicide.

Joseph “Patch” Macauley is a 13-year-old living in the Missouri Ozarks with his mother, Ivy. They struggle to make ends meet, and Patch endures bullying from other kids. He was born with one eye, and his mother tells him he is a pirate to comfort him. Patch earned his nickname because of his eye patch and his pirate obsession. His lone friend is Saint, a girl his age.

En route to school, he encounters a gang of kids led by Chuck, who bully him. He narrowly escapes and walks by the lake when he sees an older man attacking his classmate and crush, Misty Meyer. He intervenes, waving his knife, and Misty escapes. The man, Eli Aaron (though his name is not revealed here), stabs Patch and takes him away in his van.

Saint awakens and is upset to realize her bees have swarmed and the hive is empty. She is an avid beekeeper who vows to search the town to see if someone stole them.