Opal Jean, age twelve, is flying to Michigan to visit her dad, who is serving a life sentence in prison for murder. Opal hasn’t seen her father in seven years, and while she longs for the “cold blue world” of her childhood, she is also struggling to break free of her father’s dark legacy.

The trip is a disaster. Luggage is lost, her mother has to “take a seat” in the airport and rattle the benzodiazepines in her purse, her teen brother attempts to order $30 worth of Coronas from room service, and Opal’s little brother is simultaneously thrilled and heartbroken to see his dad in prison.

Also, there is a tornado. And the entire story is framed as Opal’s fan letter to her beloved Macklemore.