Amethyst can almost taste the salty beach air of Arestromer, but this dream seems ever more elusive at each checkpoint. They emerge unscathed but shaken. When a close family friend can't make it to Bell Whispers, hope seems lost in keeping what little is left of their family intact. Meanwhile, best friend Sasha twines together cornhusk dolls with Muse in a vain attempt to get more people to see their point of view in leaving what they now call the Lost Children alone. These young friends, split apart by circumstance, all find themselves caught up in a system they seem to have no power over. Whether they stay or leave or play within the system, the icy tendrils of constant pain, secrets, and parents who claim they know best constantly pull them back under. As the story unfolds, we learn more about the past and seemingly uncertain futures.