Twelve-year-old Lyndon "Lyndie" Hawkins and her family go to live with her grandparents when her Vietnam veteran father loses his job. Set in 1985 Tennessee, Lyndie is immediately at odds with her grandmother who insists on Lyndie becoming a nice Southern girl. A lover of history, Lyndie investigates secrets about her father's struggles, much to the chagrin of her grandmother who believes in keeping family secrets at all costs to protect the family reputation. Lyndie then meets DB, a local boy from a juvenile detention center, who is an open book full of optimism and a direct contrast to her grandmother's secretive ways.

Includes discussion questions.