Cammie's lives at the Hancock County Prison (her father is the warden). She is friendly with the inmates, and is cared for by a trustee: Eloda. Because Cammie's mother died when she was just a baby, Cammie desperately wants Eloda to be her mother. So over the summer, Cammie tries everything she can to make Eloda her mother...but all of her attempts fail and she falls into a depression. Finally, with the help of Eloda, Cammie confronts her sadness and finally accepts the death of her mother.

While Spinelli's writing style is beautiful, I had a lot of issues with the plot and execution. I found it strange that future Cammie was narrating the story (especially since she didn't address any of the racial/social issues). It felt like it missed its target audience.