Viola doesn't want to go to boarding school, but somehow she ends up at Prefect Academy, an all-girls school in South Bend, Indiana, far far away from her home in Brooklyn, New York. Now Viola is stuck for a whole year in what seems to be the sherbet-coloured-sweater capital of the world. Ick.
There's no way Viola's going to survive the year - especially since she has to replace her BFFAA (best friend forever and always) Andrew with three new roommates who, disturbingly, actually seem to like being at Prefect. She resorts to viewing the world (and hiding) behind the lens of her video camera.
But boarding school, her roommates and even Indiana, are nothing like Viola thought they would be, and she soon realises that she may be in for the most incredible year of her life. But first she has to put the camera down and let the world in.