Six months ago, Ponyboy Curtis was kidnapped from his home in Tulsa, Oklahoma. After two weeks of investigation, Pony is returned home to his brothers, and Sodapop and Darry notice something about their kid brother; he's mute. Ponyboy had gone mute from his kidnapper abusing him. Because of being traumatized, Ponyboy's nightmares have gotten worse, and he starting to have panic attacks. How do Darry, Soda, and the rest of the gang cope with this?