Thirteen-year-old Cassy loses her family in an apartment fire in Detroit. Her Aunt Pat, who lives on a sheep ranch in eastern New Mexico, takes Cassy in. The change is rough and Cassy has a difficult time with all her aunt's friends, including Buzz who is 16. She calls them hicks and has plans to run away. But she comes to like Maureen, a budding singer in a country band. She earns respect among the other kids in the small town. Cassy is street-wise far beyond her years. She also finds she has a talent for drawing. She hates that her aunt keeps trying to pair her up with Buzz, but then an accident brings a new understanding for the two of them. And things aren't so bad after all.