The book follows the young girl Ellie, as she wakes up from having a dream about someone only known as Jeremiah. Jeremiah is a black boy from Brooklyn while Ellie is a white girl from the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The two are attracted to each other but are worried about the reception from their families. However, they bump into each other in school again when put into the same class together.
The two develop their feelings for each other but decide not to enter into a relationship because of the challenges of interracial dating. After Jeremiah recites Audre Lorde’s poem “If You Come Softly”, he and Ellie kiss and begin their relationship
Despite being together, there are still difficulties around both of their experiences in the relationship, with Jeremiah’s dad criticizing white people for being unable to see beyond their whiteness. When Ellie finally says she will let him meet her parents, Jeremiah is so ecstatic that he does not watch where is going and gets into an accident, resulting in his death. The book ends with Ellie reflecting on their short-lived relationship and the idea that she will heal with time.
