Eleven-year-old Rose Doolittle sees and hears things other people do not--an owl that seeks her out, a benevolent Chumash ghost woman, and even an ancient Sisquoc ghost who wants to be a surfer dude. Is she going crazy? Or can these spirits lead her to new discoveries about herself? Rose turns for help to Tobin Lightfoot, a modern-day Chumash teen, but Tobin says some questions must go unanswered. She must accept the mystery of her own emerging power. Underlying all is an obscure Chumash legend about nine stones and the gift of power from Bear, the mightiest spirit of all. As her faith in the world is shaken, Rose, "just a girl," makes critical choices that will set her course for the rest of her life. Is there really magic in the circle of stones? Or is it merely a legend, twisted with time, and powerless? When her faith is put to the last test, Rose faces the possibility of death. Should she use a strange Chumash incantation. Is she worthy of Bear power? Will calling upon it save or destroy her? Not in her wildest dreams is she prepared for what happens.