Music is her passion, her life, her obsession, and sometimes, her hell. As a high school senior, Cadence Wiles doesn’t have her life figured out. Over the summer, her mentally ill mother forced impossible choices on her and now she has to face reality. Alone, without anyone to support her, it’s time Cadence explores her newfound freedom and what it really means to be an adult. But the five boys she meets aren’t in her plans and they’re more than determined to insert themselves into her life. Will they be able to break through the barriers she’s had to rely on to keep herself safe? Or will she keep them away as she counts down the days until she can disappear into the world as a full-fledged adult? Her life may be difficult, but Cadence is more than willing to fight to make it everything she wants it to be. Even if that means walking against the flow of harmony.

Cadence’s new tempo with her friends won’t stay at the same beat for long. Cadence wants to believe that everything is finally looking good. She has new friends she’s able to open up to. She’s pushing her music to the limit, and so many new possibilities have opened up before her, not just in her career, but in her personal life too. But secrets have a way of finding the light, forcing Cadence to navigate around danger slowly slipping into her life.

The tempo in Cadence’s relationships is shifting. Will she be able to keep up? If Cadence thought things were finally smoothing out, she thought wrong. As Cadence settles into her independence, she learns that dependency isn’t always bad. Justin needs her as he’s tossed back into his violent past, and she isn’t so sure what’s the right thing to do to ensure he comes back unscathed. He’s facing hard choices that leave not only him reeling, but his friends and family too. With scars reopening, Cadence’s own are put in danger as she does everything in her power to support her friends. It’d be so easy to pull away, to hide behind her music like she so often did in the past, but she can’t do that anymore. It isn’t only Justin who’s faced with some tough decisions—she has some of her own to make too.

Cadence may have found harmony—but danger threatens to turn it into a requiem. Christmas break is just around the corner, and Cadence is ready to embrace it all. The cozy dates, laughter, way too much food, and the kind of love that makes her heart race. For the first time in a long time, her world is full of endless possibilities. But when her old friend unexpectedly returns after two years, she doesn’t come back alone. She brings back a dangerous past that puts a target on both their backs. Cadence may have thought it was over and peace was all that was left for her. But not yet, and this time, it strikes when she least expects it.