When Alton`s ageing, blind uncle asks him to attend bridge games with him, he agrees. After all, it`s better than a crappy summer job in the local shopping mall, and Alton`s mother thinks it might secure their way to a good inheritance sometime in the future. But, like all apparently casual choices in any of Louis Sachar`s wonderful books, this choice soon turns out to be a lot more complex than Alton could ever have imagined. As his relationship with his uncle develops, and he meets the very attractive Toni, deeply buried secrets are uncovered and a romance that spans decades is finally brought to a conclusion. Alton`s mother is in for a surprise!