Selena: "I mean, aren't we going to have to drift apart at some point, like, before long? Or break this off and try to go back to being just friends? I mean, people could never accept us together. . . like at your work. I grew up with all those people, their families. . . they could never understand us."
Selena Osorio is a bright, assertive high school senior. Liam "Cal" Callahan is a 39-year-old, charismatic English teacher at Salena's former high school. Selena and Cal would tell you that since November, they have become very good friends. But in small towns, lies die hard, secrets don't survive long, and rumors take on lives of their own.
As winter approaches, dangerous whispers waft through the halls of Cal's school and float on the breeze through the local communities. Stakes mount under the suspicions of Cal's top administrators, Principal Rick Lincoln and Superintendent Brant Beckett. Navigating the treacherous waters of this picturesque Illinois River Valley community, Selena and Cal must do their best to keep their secret hidden from those closest to them.
Selena's mom, Demi, works in Cal's school district, so is it really possible that she has yet to catch wind of the rumors? What happens if word reaches Leonard, Selena's possessive boyfriend? And how long will it take Lilith - Cal's beautiful, volatile wife - to acquire indisputable proof of her suspicions?
Will Cal and Selena overcome the rumors and somehow be able to keep their relationship hidden, or will they be forced to end it before they are exposed? Who could have started such accurate rumors? And who is the stranger in the old, Navy blue Caprice Classic? Of course, we also have to wonder: Will Cal find himself in ruin, as prophesied years earlier by Mr. Mirai, the somewhat mysterious, blind old man who sometimes knows things he shouldn't?
Superintendent Beckett: "Cal, we are kind of in an uncomfortable position where we have to ask you some tough questions about some things that are being said around the school, the community, and nearby communities."
