Mary Jane is a 14-year-old girl in 1975. She is pretty and blond but isn’t aware of her attractiveness. The girl comes from a conservative family living in the upscale Baltimore suburb of Roland Park. Mary Jane is initially unaware that her parents are emotionally undemonstrative. Her mother is trying to turn the girl into a perfect future wife and mother, while her father ignores her completely.

Mary Jane finds her perspective on life radically changing after she becomes the nanny for the freewheeling Cone family. The chaotic but friendly atmosphere of their home helps her to figure out who she really is. As a result of this summer-long contact, Mary Jane finds she doesn’t value the same things as her parents. She is more open to new experiences and likes being appreciated for who she is. She also feels a stronger sense of kinship for the Cones and their unusual houseguests than she does for her own flesh and blood.

By the end of the story, Mary Jane finds a compromise between these two conflicting lifestyles. She is grateful for what her mother has taught her about

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