When 10-year-old Sylvia Freeman moves to Wakeview, South Carolina, she's sure that her summer is going to be plain ol' boring—that is until she meets her 99-year-old neighbor, Miz Lula Maye. It's always been just Sylvia and her momma, but as the hot summer days pass, she finds herself heading down the dusty dirt road that runs from her house to Miz Lula Maye's more and more. With Miz Lula Maye, everything is an adventure, whether they're swaying on the porch swing or chasing after missing cats. Then, one day, a stranger comes to town with news about Sylvia's past that changes her life forever. With her world turned upside-down, what can Sylvia do?