It's all well and good that Jeraline's favorite storybook characters come to life to give her great advice–although it isn't so helpful when she's trying to compose herself around her workplace crush. But then her grandma gives her a gun for protection, and Jeraline accidentally shoots an attacker in the one place that embodies every one of her nightmares: the alley.
Trying to figure out what's real and what isn't, Jeraline embarks on a journey that changes her life forever. Will her hopeless infatuation ever be anything more than a fantasy? Did she kill someone? Will she ever live a life without fear? All because of an alley, all because of a gun. But through it all, Jeraline realizes her life is in fact full of whimsy, self-discovery and love, and even through the darkness she finds the light she's been looking for: herself.
