In Brian Doyle's first book, teenager Megan dreads making a road trip all the way across the country with her parents and younger brother Ryan. Her father's tendency to joke doesn't help. She'd rather stay home and be president of the Down with Boys Club any day. But she has no choice. She has to endure endless driving, being trapped in a car with her younger brother, and the great view of the transport trucks that box them in on all sides. But as the days go by Megan begins to change her mind. There are constant reports on the radio about forest fires across huge parts of the country. There is the old lady who owns a motel and is so glad to have the family stay there because the recent death of her husband has left her lonely and sad. There are the cute boys at a lakeside stop. All these experiences jumble together in her head. Love and death, family and friends, what matters and what doesn't, fill her mind as the vast country unrolls before the windows. Will a final confrontation with her father drive Megan over the edge?