Uprooted following the death of their father, nine-year-old Vinnie and her five-year-old brother, Mason, cope in different ways--one in silence--but both with the help of Lupe, the flip-flop girl.
A pair of mandarin ducks, separated by a cruel lord who wishes to possess the drake for his colorful beauty, rewards a compassionate couple who risk their lives to reunite the ducks.
When Marvin refuses to go back to his new school because he is the only one in his class who cannot read, his father decides to help him learn by reading with him.