Of all the things humans rely on plants for--sustenance, beauty, fragrance, flavor, fiber--surely the most curious use of them is to change consciousness: to stimulate or calm, fiddle with or completely alter, the qualities of our mental experience. Take coffee and tea: people around the world rely on caffeine to sharpen their minds. We don't usually think of caffeine as a drug, or our daily use as an addiction, because it is legal and socially acceptable....

Clare, seventeen, has always stood up for her eldest brother, Luke, despite his many jail stints but when her mother takes Clare's hard-earned savings to post bail for Luke, Clare begins to understand truths about her brother and her family.

Offers an unorthodox approach to help parents teach their children the fundamental skills and values that will protect them from substance abuse and keep experimentation with drugs and alcohol from turning into a more dangerous dependency.