Fever by Laurie Anderson shows how the yellow fever epidemic had hurt and killed many. Mattie Cook and her grandpa and mom of Philadelphia own a coffeehouse with the help of a housemaid named Eliza. They first recognize the fever as  small flu creeping in from the docks. They soon realize it is so much more than that. Unfortunately, Mattie’s mom, Lucille, catches the fever.

   She sends off Mattie and grandfather to go to a different city free of fever. While Eliza will stay and nurse her back to help. But then grandfather gets the fever and they are not allowed to enter the next city. They wander around tiredly in search of food and water. Mattie collapses and is in the hands of the bush hospital. Once Mattie and grandfather regain their strength they set out back to their hometown of Philadelphia.

   Once they arrive they see very little people still live there. Once they find their own house Eliza and mother are nowhere to be found. Days later thieves come and shoot grandfather. He is now dead. After the funeral, Mattie meets a little-abandoned girl and takes care of her. Her name is Nell. One day they see Eliza walking with another woman. Once they tracked her down they meet her brother and two nephews. The two nephews have the fever. Mattie and Eliza go back to the coffeehouse to treat the two kids and Nell because she soon after also got diagnosed. One evening when Mattie falls asleep outside she wakes up to the first frost the three children are dragged outside and they soon recover from the fever because the cold helps kill the Yellow Fever.

    One day when everything is close to being back to normal a carriage pulls to the front door a woman steps out. Lucille. Mattie is overjoyed she race to the women and gathers her up on a tight squeeze. Now everything is back to the way it was.