Dicey and her younger brothers and sister eventually settle in with their grandmother ("Gram") on a stark homestead in Crisfield, Maryland on the Chesapeake Bay.
In her spare time, Dicey works at restoring a derelict sailboat, meticulously sanding down layers of old paint.
Metaphorically, her emotional defenses wear away as she slowly opens to hope, friendship, expressive writing, and finally acceptance of her mother's death.
The Runner is about Samuel "Bullet" Tillerman, Gram's son and the children's uncle, and takes place before any of the other books in the series.
In Sons from Afar, James enlists his brother Sammy's help to find Francis Verricker, who may be the father who deserted them long ago.