In 1978, a high school senior is forced by her widowed father to move from their comfortable Chicago suburb to help with an underground education movement in communist Poland.
High school senior Mary Jane Ettermeyer has always been the good girl, but when she falls hard for Jackson, the cutest guy in school, she finds herself questioning her desire to stay pure until marriage and wondering if she even has a chance with Jackson.
The first day of school starts out filled with doubt, but after facing fear of the big kids, reciting the alphabet with ease, and learning about recess, a child can't help but look forward to day two.
Katy is disappointed when her cat, Ali, does not win the prize for the smartest or prettiest pet in the local pet show, but soon learns the importance of appreciating what is on the inside.
When the local baseball coach is murdered, sixteen-year-old Hope Long's mute brother is accused of the crime. Hope is certain that he did not commit the murder and embarks on a mission to uncover the truth, becoming a voice for her voiceless brother.