His father writes confessions and jokes, and the biggest joke of all is his name--Justin Tyme. But Jay, as he prefers to be called, hasn't had much to laugh about in the years since his mother died. His father retreats into an alcohol-hazed world of denial and self-pity, reversing their care-giver roles, and forcing Jay to grow up virtually on his own. Then, they move to O'Shea, where his father manages a mobile home park, and Jay begins yet another year as the "new kid" in school. He has a lot to learn--about life, his father, and himself, but most of all, about love. And it all begins the day Jay meets Cindy Hamilton...