For Joy Taylor, home has always been the house she has lived in her entire life. But suddenly her dad loses his job, and home becomes a tiny apartment with thin walls and shared bedrooms - the site of tense arguments between Mom and Dad. Worst of all, Joy doesn 't have her music to escape through anymore. Without enough funds, her dreams of becoming a great pianist - and eventually a film score composer - are put on hold.
One bright light comes in the form of her friendly new neighbor, Nora. When she learns about Joy 's need to get away now and then, Nora lets Joy in on the complex 's best-kept secret: the Hideout, a cozy refuge that only the kids know about. It is in this little hideaway that Joy starts exchanging messages on the wall with another kid in the building who also seems to be struggling - until, abruptly, they stop writing back.
Joy can 't shake the feeling that someone might be in trouble. She has to find out who this mystery writer is, fast, but between managing a new dog-walking business with Nora, putting on a brave face for her little sister, and worrying about her parents ' marriage, Joy isn 't sure how to keep her own head above water.
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