Vicky Austin is filled with uncertainties about  everything. Her parents call it Vicky's  "difficult year." But fourteen-year-old Vicky is  not so consumed with her problems that she can't  enjoy the exciting adventures of her family's  summer cross-country camping trip.



In  the course of their travels Vicky meets Zachary,  an intriguing but troubled boy who latches on to  Vicky. And still another boy, Andy, altogether  different from Zachary, soon becomes his  rival.



Far from the comfort and security that the  family has always known, and in spite of the trials  they encounter on the road, the Austins enjoy each  other and the sights from the Atlantic to the  Pacific and back again. And for the first time Vicky  feels the mixed emotions of friendship and love.