“Susie, darling, it will be a long life indeed if you live like you’re already dead.” 

Yes, yes. Fifteen-year-old Susie has heard this before. Her mother says it often. But how can she lighten up in the shadow of The Roundup and open season? 

Susie never thought about either one before her dad died. But then he did die, nineteen days after The Roundup announced he would and halfway through his open season. That’s when the reality of her world hit hard. Susie has been in self-preservation mode since. 

For her, this means a comfortable and predictable routine that makes her feel in control of everything that happens in her life. She goes to school, comes home, and doesn’t do much in between. Susie thinks it’s the only way to avoid ending up in The Roundup and facing her own 30-day open season. However, her carefree best friend, Lucy, is not content to let Susie stay there. Neither is Luke, whose interest in Susie has him showing up at her door bearing gifts and invitations. 

Just as Susie decides to loosen up her rules for responsible living, The Roundup arrives with devastating news. Susie finds herself floundering again, struggling to find hope in a world that has offered her little.