Twelve-year-old Abigail Smith disguises herself as a boy and joins the American Fleet on Lake Champlain, where she witnesses the horrors and violence of battle and forges a lasting friendship with Pascal De Angelis.
When his mother's new marriage takes them into the household of a miniature golf course owner, ten-year-old Wedge struggles with feelings of resentment and dislike for his stepfather.
Sixth grader Samantha finds a way to cope with her difficulties in adjusting to a new stepfather, a new home and a new school when she makes friends with the unconventional Jasmine and learns to ride a horse.
