After her mother's arranged marriage to her recently deceased father's bitter brother, thirteen-year-old Susanna Stutzman faces a crisis of faith. Everything seems to be going wrong in her life. As if her new father's nasty temper isn't enough, her cousin Mary, now her stepsister, hates her, as does her new teacher. When Susanna's discovery of a strange nighttime visitor at her mysterious neighbor's home leads to the unveiling of secrets, she is forced to make a choice between her conscience and her Mennonite community.