Cat's life is divided. There is the time Before her mom died, and After. Now, everything seems meaningless. Before, Cat was happy and had momentum. After, she feels stuck. And angry. There might be five stages of grief, but Cat can't get past stage two. She's so filled with rage, her doctor tries to medicate her. When Cat finds a brochure for a volunteer program that will send her to South America, she grabs it. She's trying to escape from the memories of her mother. But life as a "voluntourist" is not an escape. The new people and places Cat meets bring new perspectives and challenges she never expected.