Helen never had children of her own, but that just saved more love for Hanna, her next door neighbor/ granddaughter. When Hanna was five, her parents separated and spent the summer apart from each other and from her. She spent the summer at Gran's house, and since then Helen has known that Hanna needs the fairy tale stories. And that's exactly what Helen gave her as Hanna grew up, asking about Gran's life. The truth however, is far different. Gran figured someday, when Hanna was an adult with children all her own, she could tell her the truth and Hanna would know it was out of love for her that Helen's llife was concocted to fit what she thought Hanna needed to hear. Now, however, as Hanna is nearing sixteen, she's pulling away and it hurts Gran deeply. Hanna is too worried about how to get Seth to feel about her the way she feels about him. However, Gran has become incredibly sick with Parkinson's Disease and is losing control of everything in her life. At Hanna's Catholic school, community service is mandatory. Knowing how scared of hospitals Gran is, and how little they can afford, Hanna asks permission to take care of Gran as her community service, and her request is granted. While Hanna is struggling with her relationship with Seth, Gran is struggling to find a way to let Hanna really know her, and how she came to be who she is. As Hanna takes care of a rapidly declining Gran, they share one of their common passions, reading. Albeit, an audio book. One unlike anything Hanna has ever read, full of anguish, tears, sadness and still, love. Love that overcame obstacles far greater than anything Hanna could imagine.