The year is 1997; Elena Richardson decides to rent out part of her rental home toMia Warren and her teen daughter, Pearl. Because Pearl is the same age as Elena's youngest son, Moody, the two are thrown together and Moody soon develops feelings for Pearl. Pearl, an only child, falls in easily with the Richardson kids, Moody's siblings Lexie, Trip and Izzy. Pearl envies them their stability because her mother has moved their family of two around a lot and she doesn't feel like she has roots anywhere.
Mia is worried about how much Pearl idolizes the Richardsons. Elena offers her a job as a housekeeper in the Richardson home, and she takes it so that she can see what Pearl is doing when she is at the house, but she ends up becoming closer to Izzy, who has a strong sense of right and wrong and defending the underdog, although this makes her out of step with her family a lot of the time.
A party thrown by one of Elena's friends creates a scandal, mostly because of Mia's involvement. Mirabelle McCullough has adopted a child who was abandoned at a fire station; Mia realizes that she knows the little girl, and her mother, Bebe Chow. Mia used to work with her at a Chinese restaurant and knows that Bebe has been searching for her daughter for some time after giving her up in a panic when her economic situation did not allow for taking care of her. When she tells Bebe that her child is with the McCulloughs, Bebe tries to see her but is not permitted to; at Mia's suggestion she involves the local television station and the resulting publicity means that Bebe is given visitation rights.
An angry Elena learns that Mia's reasons for helping Bebe were uniquely personal. Pearl was actually conceived for an affluent couple who couldn't have children of their own and paid Mia to be their surrogate. As her due date drew closer, Mia realized that she could not give Pearl up, and told the couple that she had miscarried. She disappeared from home around the same time and had not contacted her family since.
Pearl helps Lexie get an abortion, but uses Pearl's name at the clinic because she doesn't want anyone to be able to find out that she has been there. When they arrive home, they tell Mia where they have been and Mia takes care of Lexie through her recovery. Pearl is also exploring sex; she and Trip have sex in a friend's basement, which leads to a relationship, but it also leads to the estrangement of Moody and Pearl, because Moody has always wanted to be with Pearl and is both jealous and furious at his brother's betrayal.
Elena has tired of Mia and Pearl. She tells Mia that she knows about the circumstances of Pearl's birth and also tells her she has to leave. Mia is forced to tell Pearl about her father also, and the two leave, disappearing into thin air without saying goodbye. Izzy is very upset about their leaving and starts to look into Mia's background. She finds out that Trip and Moody have both used Pearl, and that Lexie has also taken advantage of her friendship. She is enraged and when everyone is out of the house - or so she thinks - she sets little fires on all of their beds. The fire renders the house uninhabitable, and the Richardsons move into the rental property vacated in haste by Mia and Pearl.
Having always known that Izzy was a wild, untamable child, Elena has always feared that she will lose her someday. She realizes that this day has come when she finds that Izzy has run away, ostensibly to find Mia's parents and wait for her there. Izzy is always one step ahead of her, and Elena can't seem to catch up with her, but as determined as Izzy is to continue to run away, Elena is equally determined to keep looking for Izzy until she finds her.
