Thirteen-year-old Caroline has been raised and homeschooled by her father in a rigid code of behavior that allows them to survive, homeless, on the outskirts of Portland, Oregon. There they inhabit an elaborate cave shelter, wash in a nearby creek, use a makeshift septic system, and tend a garden. Once a week, they go to the city to buy groceries, attend church, and otherwise merge with the civilized world. Yet, despite their every precaution, one small mistake allows the authorities to discover them. Their forced relocation is only a brief respite in their flight from a world that can't understand them.
