Birthday cake, a dead dog, and depression.

Ellis Marie Chandler is kind of lonely. Her one love, a labrador and Australian shepherd mix named whacky, died a few years ago. Now she's just sort of living while dead.

Until she decides to move on, that is, with a little help from her brother. She meets a new friend, confronts an old foe, and finds just the slightest spark of happiness when she meets a little poodle named Noodle.