Twenty-five-year-old Anna Medina abandons her life in California and arrives emotionally numb in Bellingham, Washington to make peace with her father's death. Seeking out his former best friend--a fellow guitar maker, Bender--Anna hopes to reconnect with her father and gain insight into his past. As an observer of life, Anna spends the beginning of her time in Bellingham glued to her window soaking up the scene, until she actually becomes part of it. Falling in with a captivating couple, Lucy and Arlan, Anna takes up permanent residence on their couch. So begins a summer filled with drinking, music, and--most important--the discovery that the only way to get free of her past is to embrace it.