Fourteen year old Henrietta--Henri for short--longs for everything she doesn't have. Looking down a road that turns bad instead of right, Henri and her mother Kate are forced to move in with her grandmother in a leaking shack on the edge of town. Henri is hell bent on finding a way out. At the same time, Henri meets a boy at school, Chat Turly, and becomes infatuated with his seemingly ideal wealthy family. Henri overlooks some of the curious behavior she witnesses at the Turlys', choosing instead to see what she wants to see as she tries desperately to become a part of the family. When Henri can no longer ignore the severe flaws in Chat's home life, she comes to appreciate what she does have in a new light.