An accident that scarred her face the year before had left her shunned by friends and foes alike.

Plastic surgery has removed the physical scar but not the psychic one, and the new home is a chance to start over for her.

Rowan's life is full of secrets, most of which surround her antisocial father and their locked-up house.

The stories she crafts for the carvings bring them to life for Emily, too, who also finds healing through them.

In the give and take of real friendship, each gains; perhaps Rowan is finding in Emily the strength to stand up to her father.