When Owen first feels the tickle in his throat, he doesn't think it's a big deal.
Everybody gets sick sometimes, right? The problem is, he never seems to get back to normal. With the threat of summer school hanging over his head and a new art project on his mind, he doesn't want to think about what his symptoms might mean.
Avoiding the sneaking suspicion that something is wrong brings him to the bank of a mysterious river. There Lethe, the goddess of Oblivion, offers to take away all his bad feelings.
But a goddess is used to sacrifices.