A baby boy, born of a sixteen-year old, is given up to adoption. (A secret kept by the teenager until many years later.) Jon, the adopted baby (documents are sealed) grows up in the loving and safe environment of John and Emily Strutter. Heredity evidences in Jon's physical traits - blue eyes, writing left handed, and a cowlick at his hairline, but environment molds his character - thoughtful, responsible, and dependable.
Jon is attracted not only to girls but boys as well and is puzzled why. (A question shared only with a male friend.) Jon seeks to find answers by wanting to know his birth parents but is met with strong resistance from his over-protective mother ("those files are closed forever"). Jon's father reveals information he has kept private for twenty-one years, and Jon's sets a plan to see at least one of his birth parents.
Jon takes a summer job two states away, in Nora's city. He gets to know Nora by visiting her frame shop, and Jon believes his true identity remains a secret. As Jon drives home to family and school in Minnesota, he must decide how to live his life. With who and where? His choices lead to more secrets.