Toronto, July 23 2012 - David Burke is not like other fifteen-year-olds. His days are spent looking after his severely disabled younger sister, Ivy, who has cerebral palsy. The summer break is setting up to be much of the same - getting his sister's prescriptions, planning for doctor appointments - basically catering to Ivy's needs. He has little hope of getting Hannah, the new girl across the street, to become more than just his friend. Not when he has to take care of Ivy all the time. But then, during a trip to the family cottage, something happens to change their lives forever. Ivy drowns while swimming with their father in the lake. As the details come out, David begins to suspect his father played a role in Ivy's death.

Could this be right? Hannah thinks his dad can do no wrong. Could she be right? What if she's not? Despite all the things that David resented Ivy for - the embarassement she caused, the care she required from his parents, the fact that she ruined a lot of things for him - there were so many things he loved her for. Very much. The fact that she laughed at rainbows that glimmered in the water, and that she smiled at birds flying in the sky. The fact that he was her only brother - these made her life precious. Plagued with grief and anger, David is forced to deal with his own feelings of guilt. He must wrestle with moral questions to decide for himself what is right, what is merciful, and what can be forgiven in life.