Katie has relocated to Missouri with her distant father and feels very much alone. When she accidentally falls through the ice while skating, she meets Jimmy-a handsome, far older, and married man, and she is entranced. As their relationship unfolds, so too does Katie's awareness of the pain and intensity first love can bring. Joy School portrays the soaring happiness of real love, the deep despair one can feel when it goes unrequited, and the stubbornness of hope that will not let us let go.