A murdered coach. His missing daughter. A sadistic killer.

After a summer apart, Theo and Auggie reunite at the beginning of another school year, determined to make a relationship work in spite of their age difference-and other obstacles. When Wroxall College's athletic director strongarms Theo into tracking down the school's missing football coach, though, Theo is determined to keep Auggie safe no matter how much Auggie hates it; Theo has lost too much already.

Everywhere Theo and Auggie go, someone seems set on stopping their search. First, a masked man attacks them and steals important financial paperwork. Then a small-town cop tries to run them off. Even the football players seem determined to keep their silence. And the deeper Theo and Auggie dig, the more they suspect that something much darker is taking place.

An attack on Auggie's roommate raises a terrifying possibility-that the killer has targeted Auggie as his next victim. Theo and Auggie must hurry to uncover the truth before the killer can silence them, but even if they succeed, the pressure of the investigation and the danger to Auggie's life may shatter the fragile bond they are building.