In Trampoline, Dawn tells the story of the events that transpired one holiday season when she was a teenager. She begins the story one morning when she and Mamaw are sitting on the porch. It’s 1998 in Kentucky, and Dawn is 15 years old. She lives with her grandmother, whom she calls Mamaw, because her substance-addicted mother cannot properly care for her. Mamaw is telling her about the coal mining company that is planning to begin mining on the mountain where Mamaw grew up. Mamaw has long been involved in anti-coal activism, which has led the small community to ostracize her.

On the Saturday morning before Thanksgiving, Mamaw invites Dawn to go practice driving. Dawn’s mother, whom she calls Momma, joins them, much to Dawn’s dismay. When they get back home, Dawn sits inside the car alone and listens to the radio playing punk music, which she has never heard before. The DJ introduces himself as Willett Bilson, and Dawn finds herself oddly intrigued by his voice. She pulls the car back onto the road, and she drives alone listening to the jangly, angry sounds of the music streaming in through the speaker.