Lori Palmer is the new girl at Bay Water High, where students prize glossy hair, beach bodies, and school spirit above all else. She misses her old school-where her talent as an artist carried more weight than she does-and longs for her old family life, before her parents got divorced and her mum reinvented herself. Lori decides that the only way to survive the rest of the year is to blend into the background. But her plans go awry when she discovers that the most popular (and hottest) guy at Bay Water High, Jake, is a volunteer at her brother's school. When her brother befriends Jake's sister, Lori is suddenly thrust into his unfamiliar and exhilarating world of water polo, parties, and stargazing. But with her relationship with her mother deteriorating, old anxieties resurface and Lori finds a new artistic release that unknowingly ignites a powerful movement. When the authorities start asking questions, Lori realises that finding her voice might have gotten her into a world of trouble...but sometimes standing up for what you believe in is as important as standing up for yourself.