Displaced, distrustful Ava has a hard time adjusting and fitting in after being separated from her dysfunctional parents and put into a foster home.  And when Ava shows up one morning at a school bus stop, skeptical longtime friends Jillian and Chloe struggle to get to know the elusive newcomer, who comes off as distant and unfriendly.  But Ava is fighting personal battles they cannot see:  adjusting to her new foster home, enduring regular therapy and court appointments, and missing her parents.  She especially longs to be back with her mother, who’s locked in her own battle with drug addiction as she separates from Ava’s deadbeat alcoholic dad, who eventually disappears altogether.

Still, Jillian won’t relent, and soon she and Chloe form a strong bond with Ava, who begins to experience a “normal” life of sports, school activities, and sleepovers just as her mother gets clean and finds a way to get her daughter back.  Soon, Ava finds herself once again facing uncertainty, but grateful for what little family she has in this story about unlikely friendships, family, recovery, and growth.  With a strong focus on character arcs and personal development, Bus Stop packs a big emotional punch while requiring little in the way of sets or costumes.