They go to a shopping mall and purchase a very strange selection of items including catfish, spray paint, and a security bar for locking one’s steering wheel. Margo promises it will be the best night of his life. It takes some convincing, but Q agrees to take Margo in his parent’s minivan. She promises him that he will not be required to break any laws. Margo is decked out in all black and asks Q to come with her as she needs a driver. (This is because they have the world’s largest collection of black Santas.) Q goes home, and later that evening, having not spoken for years, Margo shows up at his bedroom window. There is a nice subplot with Radar’s prom date, Angela questioning why she has never been invited to meet Radar’s parents. Q gets distracted when he sees Margo with her boyfriend, Jason. They discuss prom dates, and Ben gets irritated by the fact Radar has a date and he doesn’t. They are both members of the school band. This includes Quentin’s two best friends, Ben and Radar. Much of this chapter introduces readers to the central characters. It becomes clear that the man committed suicide following a divorce.

The kid’s parents call the police, but Margo investigates the “case” in order to find out why he died. Quentin’s instinct is to run away, but Margo is curious and examines the body. The prologue describes the young versions of Margo and Quentin playing in the park. Spoiler alert: important details of the novel are revealed below. Quentin and his friends, Ben and Radar, plus Margo’s best friend, Lacey, go on a road trip to try and hunt Margo down. Quentin believes this will improve his relationship with Margo, but instead, she disappears.

Flash forward to the current day and after years apart she knocks on his window to invite him to help her on a revenge mission. Quentin Jacobsen becomes estranged from his childhood friend due to a traumatic incident.

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