Caroline was John and Emily Duval’s only child, an imaginative nine-year-old with a flair for storytelling. With her mother, Emily, a prominent research scientist at a state-run center, and her father, John, a successful realtor, Caroline had everything a child could dream of—except for quality family time.
Emily’s demanding job required her to spend three days a week in another city, where the research lab was located. While she visited as often as possible, her career left the majority of the parenting responsibilities to John.