Being there for her family is the most important thing to Jessamine Monet. And her family is complicated. Her twin brother Joel has a secret boyfriend, and her transgender cousin Solange is flourishing, despite the disapproval of Solangeâs dying mother. Yet Jessamine
doesnât mind being caught up in family drama. Being busy keeps the water at bayâthe water of memories, of Katrina, of past trauma.
So when Tennessee Williamsâa rich white boy named after the writerâasks her out, she hesitantly says yes. Heâll be like a library book, she figures, something to read and return. Falling for him is another burden she canât afford to carry.
Tennessee has always lived his life at the mercy of his momâs destructive creativity and his dadâs hypermasculine expectations. Jessamineâs caring and aloof nature is a surprisingly welcome distraction. While she fights her attraction to him, Tennessee is pulled into her
inner family circle and develops a friendship with Joelâs boyfriend, Saint Baptiste. Together Saint and Tennessee bond over the difficulty of loving the emotionally unavailable Monet twins.
As senior year progresses, old traumas and familial pressures rise higher than hurricane waves. Can this group of friends make peace with each other, their families, and most importantly, with themselves?