Elvira Carr believes in rules. She also strongly believes in crisp schedules, no surprises, and taking people at face value. Not that she sees many people -- her overbearing mother keeps the twenty-seven year old mostly at home, to avoid any incidents... But when her mother has a stroke, Elvira is suddenly alone and on her own. She ingeniously comes up with seven ironclad rules to guide her days. Armed with her rules, a Japanese notebook from her late father, and advice from her flighty neighbor, she takes charge of herself -- and realizes that something isn't quite right about the life she thought she knew. She'll need all the clever thinking and curious charm she can muster to unravel the mystery of what happened to her family and to pave the way to living her own life, her way.