The students of the River Valley School for the Deaf want to live the ordinary life of teenagers, make friends, fall in love, study and take exams, and they also want politicians, doctors, and parents to stop explaining what to do with their bodies. Among the heroes of the book are a girl Charlie, who has never communicated with other deaf people before, a boy Austin, who grew up in a family where deafness is passed down from generation to generation, and the principal of the Febroari school, the daughter of deaf parents, who does everything possible to ensure that River Valley is not closed. But dramatic events are taking place in the country and in the life of every hero, and you either have to accept the changes or defend the right to decide for yourself how to live on.