At the end of Ozark Girl, Charlene Ridley had finished eighth grade and finished with life in the Ozarks, or so it seemed. We meet her again in Getting Smart, following her along the bumpy roads of life in the Ozark hills. We share with her those experiences--happy, confusing, painful--that continue to shape her life. We see her figuring out the new rules--her mother's and those unwritten rules of high school life. Bobby Ray is back, as are Leitha, Jeannie, Fig, Jerry, and most of the Boogey Flats residents we met earlier. But there are also new people entering Charlene's life, and they play an important role in helping her to "get smart."