Bird is determined and patient. So patient that she’s been hiding out behind a farmhouse for weeks, set on finding Cecil and bringing him back home. She misses her bedroom, her friends, and especially her mother. But more than that, she misses the feeling of family, and that means finding Cecil, the stepfather who abandoned them. She's sure she can get him to come back.

But a funny thing happens. The longer Bird stays in Alabama, the less hidden she becomes. She’s discovered by Ethan, the boy who lives in the farmhouse. A boy whose heart troubles have kept him in a sort of hiding too, sheltered from kids his own age. Bird becomes his first true friend.

And she’s discovered by Jay, a boy with a surprising connection to Ethan. A boy who is filled with a sadness that lightens whenever he spends time with Bird.

The funny thing is: Bird's loneliness is also starting to lighten. And her feeling of family is starting to change. What will she do when she finally finds Cecil?