10 year-old Celeste is as shy, quirky, and awkward as they come. After her mother remarries and moves her away from her few friends, she finds herself alone, and targeted by the local bullies. If that wasn't bad enough, her new stepfather happens to be her 5th grade teacher!

One day, at the Lincoln Elementary School playground, using courage she didn't know she had, Celeste saves a mouse from the same bullies that torment her. Her bravery is the spark that shows her fellow 5th graders that she deserves a second look. Her weirdness is multiplied by an unusual new friend she has no choice but to keep to herself.

The story takes place in Baxter Springs, a small Southeast Kansas town. It's a place where events become increasingly odd and bizarre in this first installment of D.A. Power's The Asher Chronicles.