It is 1945 and the war is ending. Summer is upon ten-year-old Maggie Cooper, but she can't completely look forward to it. Her mother died and things with her dad just aren't the same. She just can't seem to have any feelings for her baby sister. To top it all off her sister Dory follows her around wherever she goes. She has some bad times when Evelyn and her two kids show up. Maggie's dad marries Evelyn after Maggie and her family knows her for less than a week. Evelyn moves her family in and things are rough. Maggie just can't accept Evelyn and is miserable. But, Maggie's sisters, her cousins Fern and Ruthie, and her friend Betty help her laugh through the tough times.