Margaret Simon likes long hair, tuna fish, the smell of rain, and things that are pink. She's just moved from New York City to the suburbs and is anxious to fit in with her new friends. They swear they'll tell each other everything--first bras, first kisses, first periods--everything. But some things are just too private to talk about, even with your friends, and especially when you're the new girl. Lucky for Margaret, she's got someone else to confide...

After her parents are arrested by Chinese soldiers because of their religious beliefs, twelve-year-old Tash and her best friend Sam travel from their home in Tibet across the Himalayas to India in order to seek the help of the Dalai Lama.