In the vibrant autumn of 2005, fifteen-year-old Damon hides a fracturing world behind his golden, cheerful smile. Abandoned emotionally by his divorcing parents, he clings to the desperate belief that if he can just keep everyone else happy, he won't be left behind. Enter Harper Collins, a sharp, fiercely guarded sixteen-year-old artist who sees right through his sunny facade at a chaotic high school festival. Where Damon seeks to please, Harper seeks truth, armed with a cynical wit that shields her own fears of inadequacy. As cassette tapes give way to burning CDs, their accidental friendship sparks an intense, life-altering bond. But Damon’s compulsive need to sacrifice his own well-being to keep Harper smiling begins to threaten the very connection he cherishes most. In a nostalgic era of dial-up internet and late-night landline calls, Damon must learn to share his own shadows, or risk losing the only girl who ever truly saw him.
