When his family moves from Tucson, Arizona, to Massachusetts, fifth-grader Ben has a hard time leaving the desert he loves, but when he finds a kindred spirit in his science teacher and ends up trying to help her with some of her problems, he finally begins to feel at home.

Six-year-old Ramona Quimby must cope with a scary new bedroom, a job that steals away her mother's attention, and an unsympathetic first grade teacher.

Ten-year-old Gregory moves from the Bird Springs Reservation with his mother and baby sister into a motel in Tucson, where he struggles to adjust to a very different way of life, with the help of a new friend and his art therapy teacher.

Fifteen-year-old Mark Deavecca, cast into the alien world of private school, finds himself losing his grip on reality, and when his roommate--who it was rumored was having an affair with the headmaster's wife--is found dead in their room, he has the presence of mind to call in retired FBI agent Gregor Demarkian for help.