It's amazing how one summer can change your whole life. Such is the case of twelve-year-old Raine O'Rourke. When her mama takes a job as a cook, she leaves Grandpa Mac and moves from the bustling city of Milwaukee to the quiet, yet brooding mansion, of an artist retreat known as Sparrow Road. Raine has so many questions, . Like why would her mom take this job so suddenly when she already had one in Milwaukee? Who is Viktor and why does it seem like he & mama knew each other? What is the story behind the giant mansion, Sparrow Road? What about the orphans? Throughout the course of the summer, answers unfold carefully. While at Sparrow Road she finds what was and what could be; the biggest question of them all.