Tollie's mother has chosen to mourn her own tragedies by submerging herself in prescription drugs, and the girl's stepfather will soon be laid off when the mill closes down.
Racial tensions are rampant, as is the vicious adolescent version of the battle of the sexes.
Nevertheless, Tollie and her best friend, Lily, manage to rise above the turmoil of the place people call ''Hopeless Mills'' through the sheer force of their intelligence and spirit. Pierce is a master at depicting the fabric of everyday life, celebrating the beauty of the mundane, the richness of local detail.