Nine-year-old Di, while busy taking care of her dog's first litter of puppies, must face, along with her parents, the knowledge that her small brother will not live much longer.
Eleven year old cousins Linny and Hilary find themselves transported back to their old Brooklyn neighborhood to a time just before Linny's mother died and Hilary's father left home.
When her favorite brother disappears in the desert forever, Nadia refuses to let him be forgotten, despite her father's bitter decree that his name shall not be uttered.
A young boy, told by his mother that his grandfather has gone on a very long trip, believes his beloved grandparent has left because he has been naughty, but his mother explains the truth that grandfather has died, but will always be in his heart.