Fleeing from the floods of the river Po, an Italian family seeks refuge in the Mediterranean town of San Remo. Here Lia, the ""big-sister"", dedicates herself to the growing and selling of carnations, the bettering of conditions of the flower growers, and the protection of her family. In Lia's story, the reader is not only introduced to a family of charm and substance, but also to a richly human situation, which, but for the skill of the author, would remain obscure to the American reader. A story of teen-agers to be enjoyed by all.