The book involves Tess, a high schooler who has just moved from Chicago to the smallish town of Grand River, Michigan. While her parents' impending divorce brings mostly relief, Tess still isn't completely thrilled with the move. Sure, she's got a couple of school friends, her music and a close relationship with her mom, but she's still lonely, anxious and bored in her new town. Then, she notices Micah. His broody good looks seem to confirm the rumors - the guy's some kind of genius. She's even more intrigued by his odd on-again-off-again relationship with the beautiful Daisy. Tess' new friends warn her away from the strange couple, but she feels inexplicably drawn to them. When she finally gets the chance to know Micah, Tess finds that he's everything she thought he would be - smart, sophisticated, and mysterious. Maybe he does come off as weird, but that's only because no one understands him like Tess does.
As Tess falls deeper under Micah's spell, she realizes some disturbing truths about the guy. Something about the way he toys with her emotions just seems ... wrong. Is it her fault for being too clingy? Is Tess pushing away the only person with whom she's managed to really connect in Grand River? Why would Micah choose her anyway, when he already has the attention of the lovely Daisy? What does Tess have to do, exactly, to get Micah to look at her the way he looks at Daisy? How far will she go to win his love? In this dark tale of young love and dangerous obsession, Tess has to break away before the chains of codependency can drag away every last bit of self-respect she possesses.