As Rebecca is about to turn twelve years old, she begins to realize that Joe, her father, is not the most supportive of parents. Life changes for Rebecca the day that she spots a new neighbor in their latest apartment building-someone who, though she seems a little fragile, has an aura of elegance about her and who also takes an immediate interest in the girl. As Rebecca gets to know Phoebe better, she also is able to look at Joe with different eyes-and, in the end, she realizes that her father is not at all who he has presented himself as.