Introspective and occasionally volatile Carmen Lowell is looking forward to spending quality time with her out-of-state dad, whom she hasn’t seen much since he divorced her mother years ago; super-confident star athlete Bridget Vreeland is heading for a soccer camp in Mexico; soft-spoken Lena Kaligaris, a gifted artist as beautiful as her drawings, is set to discover her heritage – and an unexpected romance – on a trip to her grandparents’ home in Greece; and sharp-witted rebel Tibby Rollins will reluctantly remain in town, stocking shelves at the local discount store while working on her pet project, a video “suckumentary” to expose what she sees as the banality of everyday life.

On a shopping trip together the day before their paths diverge, the friends find a pair of thrift-shop jeans that amazingly fits and flatters each one of them perfectly, even though they are four young women of very different shapes and sizes. It seems these pants are meant for sharing and that gives Carmen, Bridget, Lena and Tibby a wonderful idea. They decide to use the pants as a way of keeping in touch during the months ahead, each one wearing them for a week to see what luck they bring before mailing them on to the next.

In this unique way, though miles apart, the four still experience the challenges and surprises of life as they always have – together – in a summer they’ll never forget.