Born to uncaring parents who subsequently divorce, Rifka is left fighting for love and attention. At the age of seven, she and her little sister learn to fend for themselves. Rivka discovers much too early that she cannot confide in anyone, that she cannot rely on anyone, and that her own family was a lost cause. Left to her own devices, shunned and shoved from place to place and from school to school, she manages to grow nevertheless into a smart, capable woman who lives her life with gusto and a positive attitude.