14-year-old, Samantha Tiernan-Bradley and her soldier father always thought of each other at four o'clock, Montana Time regardless of where the U.S. Army assigned him. When they sent him to Afghanistan, he came back in a flag-draped coffin.

It's always been just the two of them. Without him, Samantha feels all alone. Now, it's four o'clock, Montana Time and she's thinking about Dad. Is he thinking about her?

Then, she discovers her mother is alive! She's coming to take Samantha away from her grandparents and a future in the fundamentalist, polygamous community that she and her father considered to be their 'real' State-side home. Dad's plans for her included a Promise Ceremony and an arranged marriage since she's soon to graduate from eighth grade, but Mom's arrival changes everything.

Samantha's had adventures before, but nothing prepares her for Stewart Falls, Washington with her mother, veterinarian, Dr. Cathy Tiernan. Academics for girls, movies, cell phones, computers, clothes, jewelry, cheerleaders, and boys too – just the whole culture....shock! What would Dad think?

How is she going to cope with all this? And what will she do at four o'clock, Montana Time?