Emalee's mornings are a tangle of messy hair and sleepy wishes. Worse than the comb is the nagging fear of whispers in the halls of Magdalene Academy. She's sure everyone is talking about her. But everything changes when she finds an unexpected friend and brilliant mentor in Mister Gwill, the teacher who looks at her with understanding, not judgement. With his help, and a few practical tools, Emalee learns to untangle her fears and find her own shine, one small step at a time.