“She killed the part of me that believes people when they say they love you, the part that allows you to believe a person with all your heart.” Ness and Evan return to Leeds from Europe and start a new life together. But Evan's past, buried many years ago, is resurfacing and threatening their future. Since the age of fifteen, Evan has been unwilling to maintain contact with the woman who abandoned him, but, against his own wishes, he finds himself drawn back into his mother’s life because of Lucy. Feeling sidelined by Ness's focus on school and her new friends, Evan is unable to fill Ness in on what happened. Returning to old behavior only widens the gap between them. And when Ness's new friend, Ollie, begins to support her in Evan's absence, the guy's complexes further strain their relationship. Ness becomes aware of Evan's situation and wonders if he will ever be able to sever his ties to those who are dragging him down. If he doesn't do it himself and start living the life he wants, she doesn't see the point in their relationship. In turn, Evan struggles with Ness's inability to connect with people, but her aloofness pushes him away even more. The future of their relationship is no longer in their hands, but in the hands of something that could separate Ness and Evan forever...