There is something not quite right about Skylar Deacon's family. Something happened three years ago that made them pariahs; that lost Skylar her friends; that keeps all of the Deacons in denial. The tension within the house is so high that Skylar spends most of her time with her older sister Alexandra, who is confined to her room in order to recover from an accident. Skylar dreads her summer English class -- she'll have to deal with new people who don't know her family's mysterious history. However, as the teacher, Mrs. Vargas, reads stories and poems aloud, Skylar finds herself pulled from her denial into anger, then through the other stages of grief. It is only then that she can tell her new friends from class the truth: Alexandra was abducted three years ago, and they will probably never see her again. It is her first major step towards letting go -- and letting Alexandra's tangible form stop haunting their home.