My Ántonia tells the stories of
several immigrant families who move out to rural Nebraska to start new lives in
America, with a particular focus on a Bohemian family, the Shimerdas, whose
eldest daughter is named Ántonia. Jim Burden,The book's narrator, arrives in
the fictional town of Black Hawk, Nebraska, on the same train as the Shimerdas,
as he goes to live with his grandparents after his parents have died. Jim
develops strong feelings for Antonia, something between a crush and a filial
bond, and the reader views Antonia's life, including its attendant struggles and
triumphs, through that lens.