For a small town, Warsaw Junction has a lot of secrets. And Augie Knapp, the kid who hides his deformed hand in a glove, has collected most of them in an old suitcase. No one even suspects Augie has a secret of his own until Lydie Rose Meisenheimer blows into town and signs up for sixth grade. Driving a broken-down convertible, wearing a black straw hat, and proclaiming herself Augie's new best friend, she turns his days into embarrassing nightmares. But she also fills his nights with bright, shining visions of Gypsies -- Gypsies who could make Augie's dreams come true...if only he'd dare to dream a little harder.