Turning fourteen in 1946 brings several unwanted changes for Tessa as her long-standing friendship with a black boy is threatened and her parents' separation forces her to choose between living with her mother in the city or staying with her father in the Arkansas woods and hunting for Indian relics.

A young boy describes his life with each of his divorced parents and also discusses aspects of himself that could be considered strange, such as walking around with soap in his hair or squawking like a chicken on the phone.

A young boy named Alex enjoys the homes of both of his parents who live apart but love Alex very much.

At the suggestion of her therapist, ten-year-old Fiona begins to keep a journal in which she records her fears, feelings, and gradual adjustment in the year after her parents get a divorce.