Harper can't sleep. Night after night, she hectors her parents for attention. Ruth and Mac, troubled for their only child, come to call this part of the day "badtime." Can all of them get some rest? These ten linked stories follow the fortunes of this small family, from courtship in Paris to crisis in Vermont. Ruth, a professor of Environmental Studies, works to preserve their little city while living through a health crisis of her own. Mac seeks answers on the road. And Harper is just trying to grow up. Stories are always a way to navigate bad times.