"Shadow Baby" is eleven-year-old Clara Winters' story. Clara, who lives with her no-frills mother Tara in the foothills of the Adirondacks, is obsessed by a need for family -- or at the very least the knowledge of one. She learns that she had a twin sister who died at birth; she knows she must have a father somewhere; she knows little bits and pieces about her mother's father, whom she's never met; and that's all she has. In her search for information and attention, Clara meets an elderly immigrant who lives in a trailer park on the outskirts of her town. Their relationship, along with Clara's overactive fantasy life, finally brings her to learn the truth about her history and to gain some knowledge about what it means to be a grown-up.