Stu and his mom are heading to Minot, North Dakota, where she will assume command of the Air Force base. But this time it will be just the two of them. His brother is away at college, and their father has abruptly decided to move to Nevada.

With his family scattered and his mother preoccupied with military duties, Stu finds himself on his own and adrift in this new environment, caught between a respect for the regimented life of the military and an aching desire for independence and freedom. As he struggles to find his way, he is pulled into his neighbors’ dysfunctional family drama and becomes an unwitting participant. When tragedy finally strikes, Stu must come to terms with his own culpability.

Once again, award-winning author S. L. Rottman has crafted an absorbing young adult novel that powerfully depicts the emotional turbulence of teenage life and the difficulty of negotiating complex human relationships.