After their family is torn apart by tragedies and the publicity that they brought, siblings Smithy, Jack, and Madison try to pull together and protect their brother from further media exploitation and a much more sinister threat.
Stacey McGill moves from New York City to Stoneybrook, Connecticut, in the summer before seventh grade where she meets and becomes friends with Kristy, Mary Anne, and Claudia, all of whom are going through big changes in their lives too.
The author recalls his fears as a first-grader during the initial days of World War II, the attack on Pearl Harbor, air raid drills, and blackouts, and the reassurance he received from his parents.