When Ben Moroney’s family relocate to Massachusetts, his adjustment to his new life does not go well. But he unexpectedly finds a kindred spirit in his teacher, Mrs. Tibbets. Together they explore the varied habitats on her rural property, & she introduces him to the elusive & endangered Eastern spadefoot toads that make their home there.

When Ben discovers that Mrs. Tibbets’s relatives plan to sell the land to developers, he knows he must try to stop them. As Ben’s obsession with saving the spadefoot toads’ habitat grows, his schoolwork & his relationships with his family & new friends suffer. But just when it seems things can’t get any worse, Ben finds a way to meet his responsibilities to the people around him & learns what it means to feel “at home.”