Tattnall and her cousin Obie have been best friends forever. But now Tattnall is eleven going on twelve, and eager to grow up, while at fourteen, Obie is about as grown-up as he's going to get. Tattnall loves Obie, but why does she always have to take care of him? While the adults in her small southern town are focused on World War II, Tattnall is waging her own war, between her need for independence and her responsibility for Obie - a war she will win at a terrible price.
