When sixteen-year-old Carlie learns that her older cousin Mitch is staying in Israel to study at an Orthodox yeshiva, she is upset and angry. Since she was orphaned years ago, Carlie and Mitch have lived together like brother and sister. Now she wonders, is there more to the relationship, and is it wrong to care so deeply?
In Israel Mitch finds fulfillment in studying the Torah, in his work as an artist, and in his new relationship with an Israeli girl. In California, Carlie, her aunt Vivian and uncle Harry grow increasingly alarmed at Mitch's defection. They fear he has been brainwashed. Aunt Vivian decides to take Carlie to Israel to lure Mitch back home. Once there, Carlie is awakened by Mitch's new spirituality. After surviving a traumatic incident she realizes that she has a strength of her own. Finally, Carlie holds the key to the changing paths that each of them will take.
Told in alternating points of view, this dramatic novel contrasts two cultures and compels readers to think about the role of religion in their own lives.
