In the book, Swallowing Stones, 17 year old Michael MacKenzie starts his summer by hosting his birthday pool party on the 4th of July weekend. On his birthday, he receives a Winchester rifle from his grandfather. Michael’s friend Joe brings the “babe” of Briarwood High school, Amy Ruggiero into Michael’s garage and Michael shoots the rifle in the air once and sets it down, walks over to Amy and they start to kiss. Michael also has a girlfriend, Darcy. Later that night Michael feels bad for doing what he does, but falls asleep. The next morning Michael and Joe leave for Michael’s driving test, while driving to the DMV, breaking news blasted from the stereo system that Briarwood man, Charlie Ward, killed while patching his roof was shot around noon on the day of Michael’s party. Michael begins to worry and becomes anxious, he fails the driving test and drives home. Over the next few weeks he spends his days learning about Charlie and his family, especially his daughter, Jenna Ward.
Jenna Ward witnessed the shooting. The whole first few days was hard for them. Jenna spent many days having anxiety attacks and felt empty. She felt nothing. Throughout the investigation, Amy and Jenna become friends and Amy sends a letter that explains that she feels the same way because both of her parents died when she was little. When Jenna receives the letter she reads it repeatedly, that was the first time she really breaks down. One night, Jenna and her boyfriend go to the movies and it’s an action movie filled with gunshots and police, she freaks out and runs to the bathroom where she has an anxiety attack, Amy came to save her at the right time, but Jenna doesn’t remember it later on.

Over the weeks after the shooting, Michael and Joe begin to worry, but Joe handles his anxiety with alcohol and cigarettes. The investigation starts a ballistic team that traces back to the four-block radius, the same area Michael’s shot came from. Local police start to believe something is peculiar when they ask to see the Winchester and he calls Joe and he says it’s gone “missing” without him reporting a stolen gun. Michael and Joe soon become low-key suspects. One day when Michael is at work he realizes he needs to swallow the stone and decides to just leave the investigation alone, but only makes it worse because one afternoon when search warrants are rummaging through his yard and house.
Finally, as school is approaching, at 3am Michael sneaks out gets the Winchester and goes to the “Ghost Tree” a local “healing tree” in the swamp where Jenna is laying near asleep. As the morning approaches, Michael decides to Jenna everything when she awakes and then go turn himself in at the police station.