Art Lessons is told in the voice of Cassie from seven to eighteen. As she ages, she discovers the transformative power of visual art in herself and on the lives of others. Cassie lives in a family of sports nuts. She's a loner, easily distracted by boyfriends, and in love with trees, her inspiration for drawing, and the process of art-making, which to her feels like floating. While unlikely teachers of all ages challenge her, it's her Polish grandmother, Babci, who serves as an intuitive guide on Cassie's path to becoming an artist. Through her own heightened observational skills and awareness of her difference, Cassie is saved by her art, changing as the trees she continues to draw over time.