The story is told through the heart and mind of 13-year-old Sable, a grade nine student who is interested in science and very aware of unpleasant current events, such as war and environmental deterioration. Fear is her prevailing emotion. Her room is decorated in black. Sable is irritated in art class by the choice of the final project of the semester. Lacey, the "blond bimbo" in the class, suggests that they all make papier-m�ach�e frames for mirrors and paste a poem or quote on the back of the mirror. Looking in the glass, you would "feel as if the poem is, like, inside you", to quote Lacey. When Mr. Ripley, the art teacher, finds that no one is using the mirror project for introspection, he pairs up the students, deliberately refusing to let friends work together. Sable is partnered with Lacey, and neither girl is pleased. In order to pass, they reluctantly agree to cooperate, eventually realizing a friendship between them. Their friendship becomes a force for transformation, not only of their own lives but also of the world around them.