Fern has lived at the Ranch with her mother for six years. She was only six when they moved here after years of moving from one place to another. Dr. Ben is in charge of the Ranch. He makes the rules and makes sure everything runs smoothly. They make their own clothes, raise their own food, and keep to themselves. Fern loves it there.
Dr. Ben pulls Fern aside and tells her he would like her to celebrate her rite of passage in a few months. Fern isn't even thirteen yet, but Dr. Ben tells her he knows she is ready. She is just about to tell her mother the exciting news when her mother packs their few things and drives them off under the cover of darkness.
At first Fern believes Dr. Ben has sent her and her mother on a mission "off site," but soon she realizes that isn't the case. They drive for days from the Ranch in upstate New York all the way to California. Fern loves the sight of the Pacific Ocean, but she isn't sure about her mother's decision to stop in a small town where she gets a job cleaning rooms in a motel. They unpack their things in one of the rooms. It becomes clear this is going to be "home."
Fern begs her mother to take her back to the Ranch, but Fern realizes she will have to find a way to contact Dr. Ben so he can rescue her. She uses her wits and the resources she discovers at school to figure out how to find an address for the Ranch. Even though she is becoming more comfortable in this new place, she sends off a letter and waits to hear from Dr. Ben.
Author Kate O'Shaughnessy weaves an intricate tale of intrigue and suspense. Readers gradually discover the true nature of the Ranch and the reasons why Fern and her mother are probably safer and better off in this small town by the ocean.
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