The protagonist of the novel, Jerome Rogers is just 12-years-old on the day Officer Moore kills him. His death is the inciting incident of the novel, and his efforts to shape the lives of people connected by his death pushes the plot forward.

Alive, Jerome is a timid boy who spends his days attempting to be a good boy and dodging bullies and bad influences in his neighborhood. As a ghost, Jerome is finally free to roam across Chicago to see a city that is much more beautiful than he ever imagined. He haunts Sarah Moore, the daughter of the officer who killed him, and comes to understand how privileged and protected White children are in comparison to Black children.

As a ghost, Jerome comes of age by meeting and listening to the story of Emmett Till, just one of many Black boys whom White adults killed out of prejudice and hate. He takes on tasks—reconciling Sarah with her father and encouraging his friend Carlos to tell the truth about his role in Jerome’s death—to move on to the wider world. By the end of the novel, Jerome has a greater understanding of the history of race and prejudice.