Jennifer's best friend has moved away and she has become the sole focus for the mean-spirited teasing from the "mean girls" and the "bad boys" at school. But when the new girl, Melody, joins their class the bullies have a new victim. Melody is native and has moved from the recently closed residential school to join the fifth grade class at Summerhill.

At first Jennifer is nervous about becoming friends with Melody. She has heard what people (including her grandmother) say about "those people." But as she gets to know her new classmate, she discovers that they have more in common than she first thought — both of them find sanctuary amongst the books in the town library and both of them love music and being outdoors. Set in a small town in the coal mining regions of Nova Scotia during the late 1960s, this story of discovery and friendship perfectly captures time and place through the voice of its young narrator, Jennifer.