Introduction

The Grim Reapers scythe barely missed his head.

He wished it hadn't.

Story Overview

Stephen Ingalls has quite enough on his plate. Starting his freshman year at Clarkstowne High School—a tough enough challenge for any young man—he finds that he and his friend Doug have been given the unprecedented opportunity to become the first student conductors of the high school orchestra. Dr. Donaldson, their teacher and mentor, will help them push the limits of their talents while weathering the storm of controversy and opposition to this innovative program.

Character Introduction

When Stephen meets Jason Anderson, he seems to know instinctively that the young man will also be important to him this new school year. It isn't that Jason is using a wheelchair, nor even that the boy is still grieving the loss of his best friend, Tony—killed in the same accident that caused Jason to lose the use of his legs. Jason has lost something else: The connection to a musical ability that Stephen is certain still burns inside.

Conflict and Resolution

Jason is convinced that his music died with Tony, with the viola—a twin to his own—damaged in the accident. Doctors are certain that Jason's paralysis is psychological, that he could walk if only they could find and treat the dark blockage in his mind. Stephen, determined not to let either talent or hope disappear, must find the way to mend the pieces of the broken heart—and the broken viola—to help Jason overcome the past and live beyond the day the music died.