After running away from her last foster placement with the Regan family, twelve year old Hollis Woods is placed with a new foster mother, the loving, retired art teacher, Josie Cahill. Hollis is a talented artist and her life stories unfold through her pictures. One revealing picture is the "W" picture Hollis drew for a first grade class assignment on the letter "w". Hollis drew her Wish, her Want. She drew a picture of a family. Hollis had that family in the Regan's, but fear of attachment and emotional turmoil caused her to run away. As Josie's forgetfulness grows worse, Hollis is forced into the role of caretaker. Through her artwork and her care of Josie, Hollis Woods finds her family. Based on the Newberry Honor award winning book with the same name.