Theodore Finch is fascinated by death. Every day he thinks of ways he might kill himself, but every day he also searches forand manages to findsomething to keep him here, and alive, and awake. Violet Markey lives for the future, counting the days until graduation, when she can escape her small Indiana town and her aching grief in the wake of her sisters recent death. When Finch and Violet meet on the ledge of the bell tower at schoolsix stories above the ground its unclear who saves whom. Soon its only with Violet that Finch can be himself. And its only with Finch that Violet can forget to count away the days and start living them. But as Violets world grows, Finchs begins to shrink. . . .