After the death of the beloved aunt who has raised her, twelve-year-old Summer and her uncle Ob leave their West Virginia trailer in search of the strength to go on living.
Great-aunt Alice Rumphius resolved when young that she would someday travel to faraway places, live by the sea, and accomplish something to make the world more beautiful.
When she goes to live with her aunt in a small Michigan town, Mary Brooke discovers a secret room that becomes her refuge as she tries to cope with all the changes in her life brought about by her mother's death.
Cousins Tory and Emily embark on a quest for secrets, romance, and insight into the past of their mysterious Aunt Louisa, who had not talked to the family for years before her death.
After Aunt Ernestus comes to visit, a family living in seclusion as caretakers for a cemetery find the time has come to rejoin the mainstream of society.
Phoebe describes her many visits during the year to her Aunt Phoebe, who lives in an old part of Boston where the sidewalks are made of brick and the houses touch shoulders.
