David, nine, thinks that obeying the rules and never watching the sun rise will bring his mother back. Primrose, thirteen, wants to earn enough at the flea market to create the cozy home her kooky fortunetelling mother can't provide. Both are missing their fathers. After a chance meeting, David and Primrose are soon spending late nights picking through the trash and going to the all-night Dunkin' Donuts. It's an unlikely friendship, but they prefer each other to a meddling grandmother and a needy mother.
Summary David and Primrose have each built a shell of anger around themselves. David is angry over his mother’s death, his father’s frequent absences, and his grandmother’s attempts to comfort him. Primrose is angry at her mother’s inability to act like a parent and provide for them, leaving Primrose to live like a runaway in a van parked in the driveway. David and Primrose forge a love/hate friendship, with Primrose sometimes trying to mother David, sometimes teasing him like a mean sister, and sometimes providing the quiet tenderness he craves but cannot openly accept.