Ella Richardson is a creative writing teacher at Fallsworth High School. Her new student, Alex Patorovsky, quickly becomes an outcast in Fallsworth following a despicable incident that his peers and many of the town's adults are convinced he was responsible for. Ella is forced to set aside her initial fears about Alex's character, and a traumatic childhood experience is the driving force behind her decision to confront the community about their prejudices. She offers her unique perspective on the world and shares with the reader her idiosyncrasies. Ella is an exquisite narrator and provides ample context for how society should treat those who don't fit a particular mold.