Annie is tired of waiting for the cicadas to finally appear: every day, they show hints of their upcoming arrival, but to her disappointment, they seem to be taking their sweet time coming out. As Annie's anticipation builds to bursting, she is joined first by her great-grandmother, then her grandmother, then her mother -- each of whom has her own cicada story to tell. When the magnificent insects finally appear and sing their incredible songs, Annie realizes some things are worth the wait.