Peggy King, the ambitious, combustible Supervisor of Eastcogue, New York, hates dandelions. To her, they are noxious, unruly weeds that threaten her fashionable town's patina of orderliness. But to Gus Sonalag, the nearly impoverished Town advocate for seniors and people with disabilities, and to hundreds of Eastcogue's struggling old settlers who face homelessness from the area's soaring land values, dandelions are beautiful wild vegetables that staved off starvation during the Great Depression and embody their determination to thrive in the face of society's disregard for them.

The...