Serene dreams of making couture dresses even more stunning than her mom₂s, but for now she₂s an intern at her mom₂s fashion label. When her mom receives a sudden diagnosis of pancreatic cancer, all that changes. Serene has to take over her mother₂s business overnight while trying to figure out what happened with her dad in Beijing. He left before she was born, and Serene wants to find him, even if it means going against her mom₂s one request, never look back. Lian Chen moved from China to Serene₂s mostly white Southern California beach town a year ago. He doesn₂t fit in at school, where kids mispronounce his name. His parents don₂t care about what he wants to do, comedy, and push him toward going to MIT engineering early. Lian thinks there₂s nothing to stick around for until one day he starts a Chinese Club after school ... and Serene walks in. Worlds apart in the high school hierarchy, Serene and Lian soon find refuge in each other, falling in love as they navigate life-changing storms.