Very Short Summary
In a small town near St. Louis, two teenagers who grew up next door to each other drifted apart in middle school. Their mothers were best friends, and the children were born a week apart.
In high school, Autumn dated Jamie while Finny dated Sylvie. Despite their physical proximity and shared family dinners, they maintained their distance. During their senior year, Jamie broke up with Autumn to be with her best friend Sasha. As Autumn struggled with depression and her parents' divorce, she and Finny gradually reconnected.
The summer after graduation, Finny helped Autumn learn to drive and spent countless nights talking with her. When Finny's girlfriend Sylvie went to Europe, Autumn and Finny grew closer. One night, they confessed their long-held feelings for each other and made love. Finny promised to break up with Sylvie when she returned.
The next evening, as Finny drove to meet Sylvie and end their relationship, tragedy struck.
Death happens to him more suddenly than I can describe to you or even care to imagine... Finny does not; he only sees her, what he thinks is his destination. Sylvie lies on the other side of the puddle.
After Finny's death, Autumn attempted suicide but discovered she was pregnant with his child. She decided to keep the baby, finding in it a reason to live and a connection to her lost love. The novel ends with Autumn accepting that while she couldn't have prevented Finny's death, their brief time together had given her something to live for.
Detailed Summary
Division into chapters is editorial.
Prologue and Childhood Friendship
I wasn't with Finny on that August night, but my imagination has burned the scene in my mind so that it feels like a memory... If he had been with me, everything would have been different.
The story began with two mothers who were best friends - Autumn's mother Claire, who was married, and Finny's mother Angelina, who was unmarried and pregnant by a wealthy married man. They spent their pregnancies together, and their children were born a week apart in September. Autumn and Finny grew up next door to each other in Ferguson, a small town in the suburbs of St. Louis.
It was understood by everyone that I belonged to Finny and that we belonged together. We were accepted as an oddity by our classmates, and most of the time they left me alone. And I was happy; I had Finny.
Throughout their childhood, Autumn and Finny were inseparable. While Autumn was quirky and odd, with interests in witch trials and a refusal to eat certain parts of her sandwiches, Finny was her constant protector and companion. They did everything together - from homework at Autumn's kitchen table to celebrating holidays with both families. Their mothers encouraged their close friendship, and the children even strung cups between their bedroom windows to talk at night.
Growing Apart in Middle School
Their close friendship began to change in middle school. Autumn unexpectedly became part of the popular group called The Clique, while Finny joined a group of geeky but well-liked boys. They started taking different classes and spending less time together. The distance between them grew gradually, almost accidentally, until they barely spoke to each other.
Everything changed on New Year's Eve of their eighth-grade year. During a brief period when they had reconnected over Christmas break, Finny kissed Autumn outside his house. Confused and frightened by this sudden change in their relationship, Autumn pulled away. After that night, their friendship effectively ended, though neither of them ever explicitly acknowledged why.
High School Begins: New Groups Form
By the time they started high school, Autumn and her friend Sasha had left The Clique and formed a new group of alternative students. Autumn began dating Jamie Allen, the leader of their group, while Finny became increasingly popular and started dating cheerleader Sylvie Whitehouse.
Jamie and Autumn's Relationship Develops
Throughout their sophomore and junior years, Jamie and Autumn's relationship deepened. He gave her a promise ring and talked about their future together - marriage, a house in Ferguson, children. However, Autumn often felt disconnected from these plans and struggled with depression, especially during winters. She continued to wear tiaras as her signature style, though Jamie sometimes disapproved of her quirks.
My love for Finny is buried like a stillborn child; it is just as cherished and just as real, but nothing will ever come of it. I imagine it wrapped up in lace, tucked away in a quiet corner of my heart.
Junior Year Changes and Challenges
During their junior year, several significant changes occurred. Autumn's parents began having serious marital problems, leading to her mother's increased depression. Autumn herself started seeing a psychiatrist and taking medication. Meanwhile, their friend Angie became pregnant and married her boyfriend Dave. The group dynamic shifted as couples formed and broke up, with Sasha and Alex's relationship ending multiple times.
Summer of Revelations
After graduation, Jamie broke up with Autumn, revealing that he and Sasha had developed feelings for each other and had already been intimate. Devastated, Autumn found comfort in spending time with Finny, who had also broken up with Sylvie. They began spending their summer nights driving around together, growing closer than they had been in years.
I love him in a way I cannot define, as if my love were an organ within my body that I could not live without yet could not pick out of an anatomy book. It's the way I love Finny.
Their rekindled connection culminated in an intimate night together, where they finally confessed their long-held feelings for each other. However, Finny still needed to officially end things with Sylvie, who was returning from a trip to Europe. He promised to break up with her properly and then return to Autumn.
Final Days and Tragedy
After this, things are going to be the way they were always supposed to be... Then he climbs inside and closes the door. He starts the engine without looking up at me again. It begins to rain.
The night Finny went to break up with Sylvie became tragic. During an argument in his car, he became distracted and lost control of the vehicle. While Finny was killed instantly, Sylvie, who wasn't wearing a seatbelt, was thrown through the windshield but miraculously survived with only minor injuries.
Aftermath and Understanding
Devastated by Finny's death, Autumn attempted suicide but was discovered in time. At the hospital, she learned she was pregnant with Finny's child. This discovery gave her a reason to live, as she realized that a part of Finny would continue through their baby. The story ended with Autumn finding hope in this unexpected future, though she would always carry the weight of knowing that if Finny had been with her that night instead of going to see Sylvie, everything would have been different.