Penny and Carrol begin to face more grown up problems in this Penny Parrish story yet never lose sight of their excitement and fun for life. Penny celebrates her eighteenth birthday with her friends and continues her celebration with a New York shopping trip with Carrol. Their fun is interrupted by the tragedy of Pearl Harbor. The two friends muster the courage and character that they have developed over their youth so they may face the heartbreak and uncertainties that war brings.