 It is the third book of the Tillerman Cycle, set concurrently with "Dicey's Song" and "Come a Stranger".It revolves around Jeff Greene, a boy who struggles after being abandoned by his mother at age 7.At 7 years old, Jeff Greene comes home from school to find a note from his mother, Melody Hittinger, telling him that she had to leave for a while and for him to not be sad.