Martin Heydekker will not be home this summer. While his parents tour Britain, France and Scotland, hiking and sight-seeing, pitching up in tents and hostels perhaps better suited to younger people, Martin will live with his Uncle Chick at a camp on a lake in Maine, five long hours from home. Tether's End. Martin feels abandoned. He feels his parents are hiding from him, hiding a secret about their marriage. Uncle Chick is a solid and supportive enough fellow, but Martin's summer friend-Suzy, from the next camp over-maintains that Chick is gay. Gay? Nine year-old Martin is not sure what the word means, nor why Suzy should respond to it the way she does...