After she is accused of playing a role in her best friend's death, a young woman battles depression, anger, guilt, loneliness, and the problems of her own family as well as those of the families of her old friends.
On her sixteenth birthday Claire discovers strange things happening and when her mother reveals their family secret which explains the changes, Claire feels her world, as she has known it to be, slowly slipping away.
Famous radio talk-show host Nora Bridge calls upon her estranged daughter Ruby for help after being involved in a serious car accident, and is thrilled when Ruby agrees, not realizing her youngest daughter has taken on the job simply to gather material for a tell-all book that will destroy Nora's career.
Restaurant owner Madam Liang, having sent her three daughters to America to be educated and to escape the coming Communist revolution in China, refuses herself to flee to safety even though her decision could end her life.
Ainsley's divorced mother is the director on a summer fairy tale (definitely not Disney) cruise, and nearly-thirteen-year-old Ainsley is annoyed that she is expected to spend her summer vacation helping out in a hundred different ways, without much in the way of free time to chatup the cute boy playing the "Pig King"--then once the ship actually sets sail things start to go wrong, and Ainsley begins to wonder whether this fairy tale is cursed.
The Evil Queen has been trapped in mirror prison for a long time so she has decided to put her time to bad use by writing to her daughter, Raven Queen.
"Judith stopped talking long ago when Mom left her in the care of beloved Aunt Cora. Going back into a regular fifth-grade classroom won't be easy, but she has her Dog and new friend who will help her through"--Provided by publisher.
