The novel begins from the perspective of Rachel White. As Rachel gets ready for school, she thinks about her favorite teacher, Mr. Fabiano. Most girls in the sixth grade have a crush on him. Rachel also thinks about how Tommy Feathers died six months ago:

She considered Tommy a “little slow”; he was the oldest student in her class by two years because was held back twice. He had a crush on Rachel, and “it was no secret that he was in love with her” (2) because he would always bring Rachel gifts. The day before he died, he even showed up at Rachel’s house to give her a special pie made of golden raspberries; Rachel rejected the pie, but her mom accepted it. The next day, Rachel’s best friend, Missy, called her and told her that Tommy died in his sleep. Rachel was watching TV at the time and heard the phrase “the right to remain silent” coming from a cop show (4). She thought about the words and suddenly could no longer speak. She had appointments with different doctors and was diagnosed as a “selective mute: a person who chooses not to speak” (5).