When fifteen-year-old Melon's mother is hit and killed by a city bus, Melon is left with no living relatives nearby to care for her. Although she hardly knows her mother's boyfriend, he steps in to care for her. As Melon grapples with her anger over her mother's sudden death, she clings to story her mother told her about her family - a magical fairy tale of a story that seems to be Melon's only source of solace as she mourns.