Belle Teal Harper is used to going without. She lives with her mother and grandmother far out in the country. Her fifth-grade back-to-school outfit is her fourth-grade dress. Still, Belle Teal feels rich with the love of her family and her best friends, Clarice and Little Boss. But as school begins, Belle Teal faces challenges. Gran's memory is slipping away. Mama works longer hours to support the family. Little Boss's secret troubled relationship with his father, Big Boss, is pushing him to extremes. And there are two new students in Belle Teal's class: a shy African-American boy caught in the town's furor over desegregation, and a girl whose outward confidence belies the secret she holds close.