In the summer of 1974, eleven-year-old Emily Stone and her parents attempt desperately, under the guise of stability, to cope with the death of her twin brother, Ham.
In Tanzania, Bernardi's mute grandfather makes him a wonderful music box and then helps him realize his dream of owning a soccer ball and going to school.
Fourteen-year-old Jerry Luna, mute since her mother's disappearance, is sent to her great-great-aunt Constanza's house, where she discovers a trunk that draws her into the world of her ancestors during the Spanish Inquisition.
One day John and Martha, a young couple, find a boy asleep on their porch. The boy is unable to speak and explain who he is, so they choose to care for the boy and embrace his exuberant spirit and talents.
Although mute, Delia quickly becomes part of the "family" at a most unusual orphanage, where classes include Fairy Tale Studies, a field trip may result in a monster sighting, and classmates include a hedgehog and a boy whose head is an onion.
