Ask anyone: sixteen-year-old AJ Marett has the perfect life. He has a perfect family, perfect status in the perfect small town, and the perfect group of friends at the perfect high school. But AJ knows the truth. He has Becker muscular dystrophy, a disorder of the muscles that causes weakness and pain. He feels lost, but most of all, he fears the sympathy of his family and friends. How much longer he can keep his condition under control is anyone's guess.

Carrie Wardlaw's life is anything but perfect, but that doesn't mean she hasn't captured AJ's imagination. His friend since the seventh grade, she's beautiful, intriguing, and different from anyone he's ever known. Because she comes from a broken family, she's not exactly what AJ's parents had pictured for their darling son.

As they prepare for junior year, he begins to realize that he feels much more than friendship for Carrie. They build a bond through a series of letters, and hers tentatively introduce her wild side. When he finds out that she's not the good girl he thought, his love is put to the test for the first time.

Will AJ be able to love Carrie through her mistakes?

Will Carrie ever realize what AJ truly means to her?

Can she commit to him and only him before it's too late?

Or will they simply become another one of the countless summer love stories that blows away with the autumn leaves?