Astronauts have taken the very first steps on the moon, yet Brady Callahan feels anything but hopeful. Her brother, an army private, is missing in Vietnam and she's stuck at home in Minnesota, worrying about him and not knowing how to make a difference.

Two newcomers in her life will help her find her path, though. There's the outspoken, charismatic Sally, who becomes entangled in a dangerous underground rebellion. Sally challenges Brady's practical nature and pulls her out of her shell enough to act on her attraction toward Mark, a young Vietnam vet who is as quiet and sensible as Sally is brash and risk-seeking. Through these relationships, Brady will find a way to feel at home in the storm of her troubled times&150to feel hopeful and to claim some happiness for herself.

An absorbing picture of the complicated Vietnam War era, Too Big a Storm is also a moving portrait of the healing power of family and friends, and of one exceptional young woman's self-discovery.