April?s father a psychology professor has had a breakdown and has landed in the Alta Vista State Hospital. Her stepmother Claire is just waiting for him to get out so she can leave on a trip to Italy?a trip April is worried Claire won?t come back from. She needs Claire at least until she finishes high school. She needs her not just as a companion but as a worldly woman who can tell April about men and their desires ? men far different from her boyfriend Stuart.
