Rima always loved the season of winter in her small seaside village of Winterson; the cold winds and lashing sea waves comforted her, somehow making her feel more at home than in the Summer months. But now, for the first time in her life, the place she once knew as hers has changed. The woods by her house are becoming more and more alive, and the pain inside her keeps growing. Who is the boy waiting, watching in the woods? And what does he want with Rima?

“One day I will find the right words, and they will be simple.” ― Jack Kerouac

"Give me ten days, and I can give you ten reasons not to die." Evan paused. "And if I can't change your mind by then, you can go jump off that cliff."

Jasslyn Brookside has always harboured a curiosity for her childhood friend. She can't be blamed: Jacoby Harold is constantly trailed by flowers and plants, the occasional balloon or firework. He isn't the only one. From the day Jasslyn could form the thought that this was out of the ordinary, she has seen others like him. Men who stand like statues, as if hoping no one would see them. Women who walk around pretending nothing is wrong while vines as thick as pythons slither after them. After a chance encounter with two reportedly "missing" people, Jasslyn realizes that her past and future are more entwined with Jacoby's than she ever imagined. When she finds out the extent to which their paths cross, a message becomes clear to her: to delve too deep into Jacoby's world would mean unearthing secrets she would be safer without.