Trent is a 12-year-old boy who is recovering from the traumatic death of a peer, for which he feels responsible. Six months prior to the novel’s start, Trent joined a hockey game and hit a puck into a teammate’s chest, killing him. It was an accident, and the boy, Jared Richards, had a heart condition no one knew about. Trent’s primary conflict throughout the novel stems from the overwhelming guilt he feels about Jared’s death.

As the school year begins, Trent finds himself alienated by his former sports friends, at odds with his father, and struggling against his teachers, like Ms. Emerson and Mr. Gorman. Trent acts out in response to a “fire in [his] body” (11)—the rage he feels as a response to his guilt and trauma. Additionally, Trent responds to his trauma and anxiety by drawing pictures in his Book of Thoughts—pictures of Jared still alive or of him dying in various other ways that would mean Trent isn’t responsible. These drawings show how desperate Trent is for relief from the guilt that plagues him.

Trent finds distraction in his unlikely friendship with Fallon Little, a girl in his grade who has a large, jagged scar down her face.