The children - Ashley, Brett, and Shane - had been waiting for their parents at the Florida motel. But, as the day began to fade and the supervisor of the play program glanced irritably at her wristwatch, the three children realized that something was terribly wrong. Their parents were not coming back....

The ensuing story provides an intimate glimpse into the lives of three highly individual personalities, as the children set off on an arduous journey to their home in Alabama. Their adventures - avoiding the law enforcement officers who are seeking them, encountering an eccentric recluse and a devious carnival clown, accumulating an assortment of pets - provide an often humorous, always compelling protrait of resourcefulness, courage, and growing awareness.