Fourteen-year-old Lucille lives in a world of "carefully curated neutrality." While others see joy in a wide grin, Lucille feels a "profound, deeply rooted terror." Her life is a "silent battle" against the uninhibited mirth of others. But when she is forced to confront her grandmother Eleanor's peculiar collection of figurines, Lucille discovers that her fear might be linked to a "clandestine" secret buried decades ago. To find peace, she must look past the "facade" of a smiling garden gnome and uncover the "Phantom" echoes of a forbidden love.