This moving, coming-of-age story tells the tale of a young white girl who overcomes family prejudice and cultural differences when she befriends a black girl in a small working-class town. Twelve-year-old Gassie-narrates the dramatic events that unfold when Jemmie, an African-American girl, and her family move in next door. Despite their parents' deeply held prejudice against each other's family -- exemplified by the fence Cassie's father builds between their two houses -- the girls find they share more similarities than differences.