共 一場可怕的意外改變了書中主人翁Billie Jo的一生, 因為它不但奪走了她母親寶貴的生命, 同時她的父親也因此無法言語, 強大的痛苦使她必須依賴彈鋼琴來治療她的傷痛；然而, 生命的磨難並未因此停歇, 沙塵暴襲擊她的家園, 她們家的農場也因而遭殃, 鄰居早已躲避而離開他們的家鄉, 而Billie Jo仍然死守她的家園, 全文故事溫馨感人, 並於1998年獲Newbery金牌獎。
A terrible accident has transformed Billie Jo's life, scarring her inside and out. Her mother is gone. Her father can't talk about it. And the one thing that might make her feel better-playing the piano-is impossible with her wounded hands.
To make matters worse, dust storms are devastating the family farm and all the farms nearby. While others flee from the dust bowl, Billie Jo is left to find peace in the bleak landscape of Oklahoma-and in the surprising landscape of her own heart.
