When Annie returns from an extended stay in Canada, she discovers that her friend, John, has killed himself. Annie is devastated by his death and is determined to confront those she believes responsible - a group of boys from her school, who bullied John mercilessly in the months before he died. But Annie's parents and friends don't share her wish to bring the boys to justice. She finds herself treading a lonely path - and soon discovers that nothing is straightforward. She is helplessly attracted to one of the boys, and when she reads John's diary, it's clear that they weren't the only ones to cause him so much unhappiness...

Alan tells John's story in an unsentimental and compassionate novel, but he also tells Annie's story which is as much about moving on and looking forward to the future, as about the tragic waste of a young life.