Ricki can hardly believe it. She's finally fourteen! But then everything turns out completely different from what she had imagined it would be. It's bad enough that she doesn't get any presents, and that no one seems particularly interested in her birthday. And as if that weren't enough, her friend Cathy becomes seriously ill when they are out riding, and Ricki herself winds up in the emergency room. Even the surprise party her friends had planned for her ends up being a big bust. Ricki is convinced that this day is the worst day of her life, and she wishes that she'd never turned fourteen.