Summary

Amateur photographer Bernie, 16, tries desperately to keep life together for her two younger siblings despite their alcoholic single mother's string of broken promises, lost jobs, and lack of stable housing. When Celia goes on a bender and calls off her wedding to boring nice-guy Mario, it nearly breaks Bernie's spirit. Then she discovers a document that details her mother's inheritance of a run-down lodge on a lake. The woman had secretly put it up for sale, but Bernie threatens to call social services and have her siblings taken away if Celia refuses to move there. Mother and daughter work hard to make the place habitable, and the younger children begin to thrive. Neighbors help out, Celia stops drinking, and life seems to be improving despite many rough spots. But why can't Bernie lose her fear and begin to trust Celia, and why does the teen's anger threaten her relationships