Before: The Middle of Nowhere: Dream On; New Girl; Hole in the Sky; and Collision Summary

As the story opens, Ethan Wate is describing his life in Gatlin, South Carolina, where he lives with his father, a writer, who says everyone who remains in Gatlin is either "stupid or stuck." It's a small town where the classrooms at Stonewall Jackson High still have chalkboards and the library has a card catalog. There is a great deal of focus on the Civil War, which is called the War of Northern Aggression by everyone older than sixty. On the night before Ethan is slated to begin his sophomore year of high school, he believes there are no surprises in Gatlin County. He says he later discovers he's wrong.

"Dream On" occurs on September...