This queer romance opens with an immersive, nearly 100-page visual tour of Rome’s art and scenery, including the Bocca della Verità (Mouth of Truth), the Elephant and Obelisk, the Pantheon, the Trevi Fountain, a souvenir shop, and the cobblestone streets and buildings of the city. Selnick’s striking black and white illustrations set the stage for a singular summer romance set in 1986. Danny (white) is sixteen and temporarily living in Rome while his mother, a book conservator, helps restore and decipher an old text found in the (fictional) Monda Museum. While out exploring, he meets an Italian boy named Angelo with an adventurous spirit. Danny is enchanted by him, and the two fall in love, though they are always aware that their time together will soon come to an end. The preciousness of their relationship is accentuated by their false names for each other, hidden notes, maps with clues, and the heady summer heat. Interwoven in their romance story are the puzzle pieces of other gay romances hidden in the history and art of Rome and revealed through Selnick’s signature style of cinematic mystery making. The contrasting excitement and boredom of travel, the newness and timelessness of romance, and the truth and fiction of stories are captured in a richly realized summer love story.