Now that he's getting older, Joel Gustafson has a lot to consider. His
birthday is next month. He'll be fifteen, and he can't stop thinking
about the new liberties that come with being fifteen: he'll be allowed
to ride a moped, and he'll no longer need to sneak into the cinema to
see an adults-only film. And maybe his father will finally agree to
leave their small Swedish town and the two of them will become
sailors--something Joel has always dreamed of.
Joel's life takes a turn, but nothing like he had anticipated. Joel and
his father are unexpectedly faced with an aspect of their past and
emotional wounds resurface. Can their relationship survive this complex
situation, and the very different ways in which they respond?