Answer:
The story begins on a sunless, bitterly cold day in December in an unnamed year, though the narrator elsewhere notes that many years have passed since the events of this storm, and that only he and his brother remain living.. The family completes their chores for the day when the storm comes with the evening. Snow falls for the entire night and leaves an unrecognizable landscape in the morning. At the request of the father, the boys dig a path towards the barn to care for the livestock. They notice no sounds, even from the nearby brook or church-bells ringing. As the day again turns to night, the family starts a fire and, shut in because of the snow, they gather around the hearth.
The father tells of his experiences eating, hunting, and fishing with Native Americans and others near Lake Memphremagog in Vermont, Great Marsh in Salisbury, Massachusetts, the Isles of Shoals, and elsewhere. The mother, while continuing her domestic chores, tells the family's connection to the Cocheco Massacre, about her rural childhood and carousing in nature, and how Quaker families look to inspiration from certain writers.
Next, the uncle, who is not formally educated, tells of his knowledge of nature, like how clouds can tell the future and how to hear meaning in the sounds of birds and animals. He is compared to Apollonius of Tyana and Hermes. The kindly unmarried aunt tells of her own happy life. The elder sister is introduced, though she does not tell a story, and the narrator fondly recalls a younger sister who died the year before. The schoolmaster, son of a poor man who took odd jobs to become independent, sings and tells of his time at Dartmouth College. The narrator also describes a "not unfeared, half-welcome guest" who rebukes the group when they show a lack of culture. Eventually, the fire goes out and the various characters go to bed for the night.
In the morning, they see that the highways and roads are being cleared. The workers exchange jokes and ciders with the elders of the family while the children play in the snow. The local doctor stops by to inform the mother that her help is needed for someone who is sick. A week goes by since the storm and the family re-reads their books, including poetry and "one harmless novel", before the local paper is finally delivered, which allows them to read and think about warmer places.
Explanation:
