Feeling unloved by his mother and new stepfather, Andy hides out in a luxurious San Francisco hotel and stages his own kidnapping in order to obtain ransom money to pay for a trip to England to see his father.
When Tim and his parents visit his grandmother in the nursing home where she is recovering from a broken hip, everyone pretends to be happy until Tim helps them express their true feelings.
While visiting her grandmother in California, seventeen-year-old Catherine comes in contact with a mysterious stranger who says he can help her contact a friend who died in a car crash for which Catherine feels responsible.
Matt's investigation of vandalism of life-sized dolls belonging to the strange but well-meaning aunt with whom he and his sister live takes him to the art world of Los Angeles.
Although a Mexican family comes to the United States to work as farm laborers so that their children will have opportunities, the parents still consider Mexico their home.
Callie and her family are moving from their house to an apartment, so they're having a yard sale. It can be hard to let things go, but in the end, it's who you have - not what you have - that counts.