Connor's best friend Branwell Zamborska is struck dumb and taken to the Juvenile Behavioral Center when his infant sister Nicole suffers a head injury and slips into a coma.

Because Branwell does not speak, Connor does all the talking and communicates by a kind of sign language, inspired by Jean-Dominique Bauby.

I no sooner had the sentence out of mouth than Branwell blinked his eyes twice, very rapidly, and I knew he understood our rules of communication.

Connor recounts his daily visits to his older half-sister Margaret, after her workday, and together they work towards solving the mystery of why Branwell will not speak, and what happened to baby Nikki.

In Branwell's first utterance since the incident he explains that Nikki was neglected and harmed by tobacco smoke coming from Vivian and her boyfriend Morris.

[3] Eventually she resorts to Dad's expertise as University Registrar Kane, regarding the Zamborska case; that and some prodding by Connor effect some warming between daughter and father.

According to the School Library Journal review, the book contains "themes of communication, relationships in blended families, being different, friendship, adolescence, and shame".