Mitch is a 25-year-old with commitment issues. Leonard is a five-year-old kid with asthma and vision problems, who captivates everyone he meets. Pearl is Leonard's teenage mother, who's trying to hide a violent secret from her past. Life has given Pearl every reason to mistrust people, but circumstances force her to trust her neighbour, Mitch.

Ten-year-old Grace knows that her mum loves her, but her mum loves drugs too. And there's only so long Grace can fend off the woman from the county who is threatening to put her into care. Her only hope is Billy Shine. However, Billy hasn't been out of his apartment for years. People scare him, and the outside world scares him even more.

I was doing my best to get out the door. And then the phone rang. I almost let it go. New York, September 11th, 2001 Russell Ammiano is rushing to work when he gets a phone call that saves his life. As the city he loves is hit by unimaginable tragedy, Russell must turn his back and hurry home to Kansas.

Carly and her little sister Jen are walking. Something terrible has happened. Something that has left Carly in charge, her faith in humanity shattered. She knows they need help. But she is terrified of her sister being taken away from her. All they have is each other.

Seth and his little brother Henry haven't had the most stable of upbringings. Their father has been in and out of jail; their mother took off years ago and hasn't been seen since. Life is constantly uncertain - but a twist of fate could be just what they need. August stopped drinking the day his son died. While on a journey that's very close to his heart, a breakdown leaves him stranded in a small town and at the mercy of the local mechanic - Seth and Henry's father. But then August is presented with an offer he doesn't expect: take the two boys with him for the summer, and pay no charge for...