It is spring in Seldem, a small town that could be anywhere in the U.S., and Debbie is looking forward to her summer vacation, though she wishes that something good would happen to her. In Seldem, very little exciting happens, and this summer will probably be no different. As school comes to an end, she begins to hang out with her normal friends, Patty, Hector, Lenny and Phil, doing normal things - walking around town, going to the Tastee Freez, and sitting in Lenny's dad's parked truck each evening listening to the nightly "Criss Cross" radio show. Hector is feeling the same way as Debbie and, after hearing a guitarist play at a local coffee house, takes a bit of action, in the form of guitar lessons at a local church.

As summer progresses, Debbie makes a few changes. She moves into the tiny front parlor of the family home, so that she can have her own room, obtains a part-time job, cleaning for elderly Mrs. Bruning, and, ultimately, meets Mrs. Bruning's grandson, Peter, when he arrives for a visit. Thrown together by Mrs. Bruning's medical crises, a short romance of one week ensues, and then Peter must return home to California. Hector continues with the guitar lessons and becomes completely infatuated with the beautiful fellow student Meadow, though her only interest is in Dan Persik, local football star. Hector unrealistically plans opportunities to be alone with Meadow, only to be thwarted and ultimately rejected. Lenny, who is in the vocational-technical track at school, begins to help his father with projects, like building a pig roaster for the block party, tries chewing tobacco, teaches Debbie how to drive a stick-shift, and realizes that he is pretty good at teaching others something new!

The tale ends with a block party pig roast, and the four friends are together, sitting on a roof singing with Hector and catching fireflies - still having their "normal" Seldem summer. And yet, things have somehow changed. Debbie is more contemplative, more mature, and has found a new sense of self that she likes; Hector realizes that his identity is not determined by others, like Meadow and Dan; and Lenny has gained some self-esteem and confidence. Not bad for a few young teens passing the summer in a very ordinary small town!