On her way home, Susie Salmon is kidnapped and raped by her next door neighbor. And that's just chapter 1. The rest of the books follows the spirit of Susie as she watches her family and friends unravel and slowly try to pick themselves up following her death. All the while, Susie is trying to deal with the things she never said, the things she has never done and the words she wishes she can rain down on those around. 

We follow this journey of a young girl as she tries to make sense of her world after the most horrific event clouds her and those around her.