From the moment Jessica arrives, life is never quite the same for Tom Bender and his seventh-grade classmates. They learn that Jessica has been in a fire and was badly burned, and will be attending St. Catherine's while getting medical treatments. Despite her startling appearance and the fear she evokes in him and most of the class, Tom slowly develops a tentative friendship with Jessica that changes him. Firegirl is a story about how even the smallest gestures can have a profound impact on someone's life.