Blue Baxter turns twelve in 1954 just as the school year ends, and she settles in for a long, lazy summer vacation.
But when backyard garden vegetables begin to mysteriously disappear in the night, Blue's investigation leads to the discovery of three "illegal" migrant worker kids hiding in a tool shed. They're on the run from border patrol agents and fearful of taking help from strangers who might turn them in.
Determined to do what's right, Blue enlists the help of her GramZees, the one person Blue trusts to speak her mind, even when it means facing down hate and prejudice.
But doing the right thing means hard choices are ahead for Blue and her family. Going against the law, their neighbors, and white supremacists puts everyone in jeopardy as they race against time to find the migrant children's grandmother in hopes of giving them a haven from deportation.
As tensions rise in town, border patrol agents and white supremacist vigilantes close in. Blue finds herself coming of age in the midst of a historic moment, caught between what is right and what is safe.