Onion John is an unusual man: a European immigrant who lives in a hut made of stone and furnished with bathtubs.

His needs are few, since the townspeople are happy to give him castoff clothing after someone dies, and he earns a little money by doing odd jobs around Serenity.

Mr. Rusch is determined to rebuild the house, never noticing that Onion John was uncomfortable and unhappy in his new surroundings.

Andy suggests to Onion John that for the people of Serenity to leave him alone, he should run away from town.

"[1] In a retrospective essay about the Newbery Medal-winning books from 1956 to 1965, librarian Carolyn Horovitz wrote: "Onion John does not appear to me to be a work for children but instead, a 'teaching' story, a parable, aimed at parents.