It’s an exciting time for seventeen-year-old Libby, as she announces to her aunt that she plans to leave Toronto in the 1950s to spend the summer living alone in the empty family home in Pinkney Corners. Libby is determined to make it on her own and to spend some time honing her skills as a writer so that she can become a novelist and journalist like her deceased mother. But living alone can be a challenge. Libby makes a little money working at the five and dime, but the local paper can’t afford to hire. And then there’s the strange men that she sees on the property, and the uncomfortable attentions of the store’s assistant manager. But there are some bright spots in the summer - new friendships and the possibility of romance with handsome Michael, her best friend’s brother. Libby is put to the test when she stands up against sexual harassment from her boss and writes an article on it for the paper, running the risk of losing her job and the respect of the community.