In this novel series originally released in Chinese—and which inspired a number of multimedia adaptations—two disaffected young men stuck in a run-down city discover that everything changes once they find each other.

Sixteen-year-old Jiang Cheng is cast aside by his adoptive parents and sent to a desolate northern town to live with his gambling-obsessed, deadbeat father. Arriving with just a suitcase, a pack of cigarettes, and a looming sense of dread, he steps off the train and into a bleak, rundown place far from everything he knows. There, he meets Gu Miao, a quiet, troubled girl, and her brother Gu Fei, a boy his age with musical notes shaved into his hair. Both disenchanted with life, Jiang Cheng and Gu Fei are reluctant to connect, but fate—and Gu Miao—have other plans.

In this frigid snow-covered town, where hope seems frozen in time, Jiang Cheng and Gu Fei must face their own demons. Yet, an unexpected friendship might just ignite the warmth they both desperately need.