Returning to 'normal' life after being acquitted of a crime is difficult, with society still viewing the acquitted person as stained by their past.
Asher doesn't return to school but instead registers to get his GED. He faces curiosity and notoriety in public due to the murder trial.
Asher tries to integrate back into his old life by joining a hockey game but is confronted with prejudice and fights with another player over a derogatory term.
Asher's interactions with his former best friend Dirk and other peers like Maya are strained or non-existent, emphasizing how his life has diverged onto a different path.
Asher and his mother fall into a new routine that includes beekeeping, doing crosswords, cooking together, and watching movies.
Maya visits Asher three weeks after the trial, revealing her acceptance to Williams College and her guilt about not supporting Asher during the trial.
Maya confesses she wrote her college essay about Lily, unintentionally highlighting how her life progressed while Asher’s was derailed.
Asher's mother overhears Maya mention a text that Asher supposedly never received and queries Maya, revealing a critical detail not mentioned at the trial.
Maya reflects on her unrequited love for Asher and her resulting antagonism towards Lily, leading to a physical altercation and Lily's tragic accident.
During Maya's confession, Asher and his mother realize the complexity of the situation and the role of mistaken intentions in Lily's death.
Asher’s mother contemplates the nature of destiny and change, using bee colonies and royal jelly as a metaphor for transformation and potential.
A few weeks after Maya's confession to the police, Asher expresses interest in college and moving forward with his life, showing signs of recovery.
The prosecutor decides not to bring charges against Maya, with Asher showing mixed feelings of relief and confusion about the legal outcome.
Asher’s mother experiences a rekindling of romantic feelings with Mike, acknowledging that they both, like everyone else, have complexities and imperfections to navigate.