As much as sixteen-year-old Emily Franklin likes going to school, she should be enjoying her summer break. It's nearly impossible with a serial killer in the city, preying on young girls. Everyone is on edge. Emily starts a job at a pharmacy lunch counter where she meets Jacob Arnold. He's a geek like her who loves books and research, and they instantly click. Jacob overhears his rookie-cop brother talking on the phone, and he reveals something about the murders that the news media hasn't yet exposed. The information leads Jacob and Emily into some sleuthing of their own, and they stumble onto a secret not even the local police know. They consider telling what they've learned, but it's so far-fetched that they fear they might be put away themselves ... for insanity.