Though Charles has outgrown his panic attacks and inability to speak after his father's death, he is still haunted by the memory of Amanda, the childhood friend who helped him conquer his insecurities. As children, the two formed an intimate bond through poetry, and Charles still regrets losing touch when Amanda was moved away. When Charles, now a revered professor in psychology, finds one of Amanda's poems on the back of a jam jar label, he is determined to overcome his personal barriers in an effort to find the girl who understood him when no one else could.