In the summer of 1969, thirteen year old Ivey Rose Lancaster takes a trip with her mom and sister that will change them all forever. Ivey's mom decides to take her daughters camping at White Lake, New York, to spend some "quality time" with them while she can. But is there another reason for the trip? One that she's not ready to share with her girls? And does the trip have anything to do with the fact that Ivey's parents seem to be fighting all the time lately? As Ivey and her sister swim, hike, and make new friends with the lively McGee family who are also camping at White Lake, their mom seems to be drifting further and further away from them, especially when she begins spending time with an old friend - Phoenix- who looks more like a hippie than someone she knew in high school. While older sister Caroline finds a boyfriend on this trip, it's Ivey who gains a new best friend and "gets the guy" in the end. Just when she unwittingly learns the life-altering truth about Phoenix and thinks nothing worse could possibly happen, their mom drags them to Woodstock only to discover an even more shocking truth about a missing family member. Ivey learns that life is not always simple, predictable, or even easy, but through it all she can count on her family to see her through.