Beryl's coming-of-age story centers around her life as a step-daughter, but her longing for her real father never ends. Her clear memory of her father waking her early to feed the pony the day he walks away from the family haunts her. Now her mother insist that her new husband, Jack, has saved them. However, he gives inconsistent messages by harshly criticizing her mother, while her brother, Stevie, seems to be losing himself in religion, and her mother becomes more and more obsessed with needing Jack's praise. Beryl's physical shelter comes from her tree house in the back yard, where she finds herself being an observer in her family's life. This dysfunctional family slowly implodes and Beryl becomes caught in the center of it all. ( )