speth jime is anxious to deliver her last day speech and celebrate her transition into adulthood the moment she turns fifteen speth must pay for every word she speaks for every nod for every scream and even every gesture of affection shes been raised to know the consequences of falling into debt and cant begin to imagine the pain of having her eyes shocked for speaking words that shes unable to affordbut when speths friend beecher commits suicide rather than work off his familys crippling debt she cant express her shock and dismay without breaking her last day contract and sending her family into collection rather than read her speechrather than say anything at allshe closes her mouth and vows never to speak again sparking a movement that threatens to destroy her her family and the entire city around them