<P><B>From a multi-award-winning author comes a magnificent and deeply moving story about two girls, a life-long friendship, and the heart’s search for the real true thing</B></P><P>The path of Ruth's life was shaped in one fateful moment when, as a baby, she miraculously survived the car accident that killed her mother. Her grandmother raised her with the fierce conviction that Ruth be free to meet the world on her own terms, and not be stuck in the small life of their country town. This wise, compassionate, beautifully written book weaves together the stories of Ruth, her grandmother Margaret May, Ruth's lifelong friend Fee, and Ruth's troubled foster child Dancey Tremaine. From Ruth's coming of age in a country town and the defining influence of her grandmother, to the consequences of Fee's youthful marriage and motherhood, to a troubled contemporary child looking for love, this book enables us to appreciate the beauty of life and connection with others.