Nettie and John Peter have been passed from one relative to another ever since their parents died, so when they go to live in Boston with their grandfather, Nettie doubts he really wants them.
When her grandmother moves into a nursing home, twelve-year-old Phoebe sets out in the old family car, with three of Gram's servants, on a search for the father who abandoned her at birth.
As she tries to help her father deal with his memories of Vietnam, fifteen-year-old Tess finds comfort in her friendship with the sensible Selina and distraction in her infatuation with the dangerous Caleb.
Wanda feels betrayed when her parents' glamorous boarder doesn't introduce her to Elvis Presley, and it takes a near-tragedy to reunite them and to help her face the truth about her family and herself.
