After losing her parents in a car crash at age 8, life just hasn't been the same for Cassie Murphy. Now a fifth grader at Magruder Elementary, Cassie and her three friends, Zee, Toni and Bryant, have been trying to make the best of the same old routine of school, but somehow all the fun has been sucked out of it, and especially at recess. Between a dwindling number of students on the blacktop and Marcus Mackey's need to bully away any games that might be had, Cassie and her crew are on the verge of giving up on their formerly beloved recess. The four friends get help from an unexpected place when an "angel-on-probation" named Clarence is sent to earth to help them fix recess. Clarence's crusade gains new importance along the way, as Cassie learns that it's alright to take the risk and care enough to try to change things for the better.