Twelve-year-old Isobel is unhappy about spending the summer of 1918 at her aunt's home in Hollywood with her mother and sister until her cousin, Ranger, involves the girls in creating the perfect film and, when her father returns from the war, his serious injury becomes their inspiration.

"The acclaimed, bestselling author--winner of the PEN/Faulkner Award and the Orange Prize--tells the enthralling story of how an unexpected romantic encounter irrevocably changes two families' lives. One Sunday afternoon in Southern California, Bert Cousins shows up at Franny Keating's christening party uninvited. Before evening falls, he has kissed Franny's mother, Beverly--thus setting in motion the dissolution of their marriages and the joining...

Follows the Camden family, with Eric, the minister father, and Annie, the stay-at-home mom, and how they deal with the drama of having seven children. The kids range in age from toddlers to adults with families of their own. The friends, neighbors, and love interests of the various members of the family are heavy issues and are addressed in a real-life manner.

There's plenty of hip-hoppenin' when Philip runs for Superior Court judge, Vivian develops a taste for sardines and Rocky Road, Hilary lands a gig as a TV weather reporter, and Will is ready to graduate and is checking out colleges.