Concerns "a delicately written relationship between a self-conscious, proud youngster who guesses—correctly—that her not-quite-bright mother was never marriedà There is a troubled, only reluctantly hostile relationship between a boy who thinks of himself as 'more the writer type' and the ambitious but ineffectual parents who want to urge him toward better things." Then, the boy and a girl, "both of them outcasts in the high-school world of prom dates and grapevine rumors, stumble upon one another and slowly find their ways toward dignity, open affection and some sort of identity... Though the boy and girl are separated by their parents who refuse to acknowledge one another's worth, the vital steps to maturity have been taken and through their love for each other they emerge as important people."