Ellie feels as though her entire life has been suddenly uprooted by her mom accepting a job promotion that requires them to move to New Jersey. At first, Ellie assumes she will be spending the rest of the summer alone. She quickly realizes that won't be the case once she meets Karen. She and Karen quickly hit it off and become close friends. Karen is strongly influenced by a clique of girls she belongs to. Initially, Karen expects Ellie to abandon her own self-identity so she will fit in with the rest of Karen's friends. Ellie isn't too thrilled with the idea of being part of a clique. She decides she'd rather be herself. The strength of Ellie and Karen's friendship is put to the test, but after Ellie and Karen nearly lose their lives, they both realize that they have discovered true friendship.