[1] The story, set in Upstate New York,[2] and in 1976, is about Isadora Myung Hee "Isa" Sohn, an 18-year old Korean American teenager.
[3] The beginning of the novel reveals that Isa lived after a house fire which killed her parents.
[5] The novel reveals that she became involved with "Hero",[2] an albino boy who, along with her friend Rachel, convinces her to run away from home.
[5] Vankin described the book as "Rick Moody’s “The Ice Storm” meets a vintage version of “Crash.”"[5] Kirkus Reviews states that Min used "stringent attention and honesty" in crafting the characters and setting.
[3] Publishers Weekly stated that Min had been "spot-on" in demonstrating "an outsider family's tight-knit alienation".