Out of the Dust is the story of a teenage girl growing up in Oklahoma during the Great Depression. She and her family endure the hardships associated with the raging dust storms, poor economy, and difficult living conditions.

Billie Jo Kelby is an only child - her mother has endured numerous miscarriages. Though she knows he loves her, she believes her father views her as a substitute for the son he really wanted. Billie Jo is a good student, but her true joy is playing the piano. Billie Jo's piano playing leads to a job with a local musical group and gives her the opportunity to bring home a little money for the family. When her mother reveals that she is pregnant again, and the pregnancy seems to be going well, the family is hopeful. Despite the hardships of dust and depression, Billie Jo and her mother and father are a relatively happy family.

However, tragedy strikes during an ordinary day. A bucket of kerosene, mistaken for a pail of water, leads to a terrible fire. Billie Jo's mother is horribly burned, and Billie Jo suffers serious burns herself when she tries to extinguish the fire with her bare hands.

Billie Jo and her father blame themselves and each other for the tragedy. Her father sinks into a deep depression, and Billie Jo retreats into numb self pity. She begins to dream of going somewhere else, out of the dust. The terrible storms continue as Billie Jo and her father drift further apart.

Eventually, Billie Jo leaves her home and father; but in leaving she discovers that answers and peace do not come from trying to escape from bad circumstances. Answers are not always given or found, and peace comes from facing her problems.