Once things start falling apart around Polly Giller, chaos takes over and all she can do is hold on for the ride. Sylvie Donovan has finished school and things are supposed to be rainbows and unicorns. Not in Bellingwood. Her oldest son, Jason, has just started high school and isn't handling the transition well. Within the span of three weeks, his behavior has escalated to the point that she doesn't know what to do next. Her ex-husband shows up and the mere sight of him drains her confidence, returning her to the days when she lived with an abuser. Polly's little family is dealing with bedlam of its own. Jessie Locke is twenty years old and no matter how badly she wants to be an adult, she's making horrible decisions. When she runs away, Polly has to deal with a furious husband and a devastated little girl. Poor Rebecca Heater's life is already in disarray as she watches her mother's health deteriorate. The one constant through all of the storms that come is the friendships each person has developed along the way. Friends show up when you least expect it and are there when you need them. If there's one thing Polly knows and Sylvie is learning, it's that when you need strength to stand against the horrors of the world, you can find it in those who love you.