Katy Porter is nervous and excited about beginning her first year of homeschooling. The day before school starts, Katy asks her dad if she can keep the empty box he is about to throw away. Katy puts keepsakes from her past inside the box, such as an old necklace and a rock she brought back from the ocean. Katy tucks the box safely under her bed, but the box is not full. Will the coming year bring good times with her family and fun new treasures to add to her box? Or will homeschooling be just a big stack of boring hard work?