It's summertime, and everyone on Darcy Lane seems to be holding their breath waiting for the cicadas to emerge, but what twelve-year-old Julia Richards and her best friend, Taylor, want is some real excitement. Which arrives in the form of a new neighbor named Alyssa, who introduces a ball game called Russia ... and an unwelcome level of BFF rivalry.

Davey, a blind student, refuses all help from his new classmates, even while playing kickball at recess, until they find a way to help without doing everything for him.