Lucy Whitley is excited that her dad is remarrying, because this life change means that Lucy will get to leave her sisters in sunshiny California and go to a science boarding school. The Whitley family isn't very close or very connected and the three sisters stay in touch through email, even though they live in the same house. 10-year-old Frankie is a dreadlock-wearing tomboy with a love for snowboarding, and Sloane is a gorgeous mean girl queen bee, while plain science-loving Lucy is wedged between the two.