in the space of a few months sixteenyearold ethan poes life has become a complicated mix of facts theories and hypotheses things he knows beyond doubt his parents are divorcing his older brother kyle is exhibiting alarming behavior and his best friend is turning into a spiritual fanatic then there are the shifting uncertainties including his feelings toward his father and his desire to both blend in and stand out in his rural maine hometown most pressing of all theres his attraction to max modine a boy he wants to know much better than he doesdespite ethans initial reluctance he gets pulled into a heated and sometimes violent conflict about whether to introduce intelligent design into science classrooms family and friends are turning against each other school is a battleground and ethan will have to take a stand because some facts are irrefutable and some bonds unbreakable even when they cant be seen and once ethan finds the courage to become who he was meant to be the outcome could be absolutely extraordinary