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Bowen is really upset that he messed up the interview because he cannot be like Knox, who often messes up. He tells Knox that the way he gets his parents’ attention is by being good at things. Bowen goes on to say that their parents are always so busy managing Knox’s ADHD that Bowen sometimes feels like he disappears. Bowen decides to apply to all of the local law firms on behalf of his father, and Knox is amazed at how Bowen is able to concentrate without getting distracted. Bowen tells Knox that he maintains focus by trying to find the one neat thing in everything he does. When Knox asks him what is neat about himself, Bowen tells Knox that he is not boring.

Knox is inspired by his brother’s determination, so he goes back to the garage to try to find something to trade to get his mother’s anniversary earrings back. He finds a box of face masks leftover from the SARS pandemic, and the children go to the Taradippin house to trade them. The Taradippin brothers have been celebrating because they have been able to sell so many masks. The children tell the brothers they want to trade the masks for the earrings. The men agree but refuse to give them a bottle of hand sanitizer for school because they are selling them for $75 each.

The kids agree to give Julie the earrings together because they all played a role in getting them back. Bowen learns that they got Andrew an interview at a country club, and Knox says he will do the interview. They give Julie the earrings, and she remembers that Andrew gave them to her when they decided to move to Hong Kong. He wanted to see Asia, and she wanted to go someplace where she would not stand out so much. She remembers a lot of discrimination when she lived in the US previously. She explains that there is still discrimination and racism now, and compares racism to a virus and says that it spreads less if people speak out against it. She tells them that the vaccine against racism is love, and they all embrace one another.

Knox likes that his mother has been telling them stories. It is almost March, and Lea hopes that Andrew will be able to come to the US for her birthday. Aunt Jackie agrees to take the kids for the day Julie will be in New York for her interview. Knox hangs out with Christopher and is concerned about Julie flying during the pandemic. When he is worried because they do not have enough hand sanitizer, Christopher tells him that he knows how to make more.

The kids go to meet the supplier who gives Christopher rubbing alcohol to make hand sanitizer. When Lea does not want their mother to leave, Julie tells her that she is like a lioness and must support her cubs. The kids go to the Safeway to get rubbing alcohol, and people are wearing hazmat suits. The man at the Safeway recommends that they contact a hospital about getting a suit for their father should he fly from Asia, or else they should get a blow-up costume suit because they are insulated and protective. The man then gives them a box of masks for their mother. When they are surprised that he would give them something so valuable, the man says that people are more important than gold. Outside, Bowen gives a man who is unhoused one of their masks.

The kids want Julie to cancel her flight, but she says she must go to make money for their family. They give her the surgical masks, and she is impressed that they are N95 masks.

Mrs. Turner is happy with the hand sanitizer the boys give her. A man named CJ Axel responded to Knox’s restaurant post on Nextdoor, asking how people could eat Chinese food when Chinese people are responsible for the virus. A couple of people respond by defending Chinese people. Knox reports CJ Axel’s comment as abuse. Mrs. Turner announces another case of COVID-19 in the US. One girl in class is afraid to go to the bathroom, but because Knox has had more experience with the virus, he tells his classmates that it is mainly spread through coughs and sneezes. The class does not have masks, so Knox recommends everyone move their desks farther apart. This takes away space for the stations he likes, but he is focused on safety.

Aunt Jackie calls and tells Julie that she cannot watch the kids because her daughter has pink eye. Julie is about to cancel her interview when Bowen says that he will watch his younger siblings.

Julie tells the kids that they cannot talk to their father while she is away, because he would get angry if he found out that she is leaving the kids alone.

Knox tells his brother about how CJ Axel called the police about a Black kid who was just walking around his neighborhood. When Knox and Bowen are in an Uber going to track practice, Knox learns that no one would pick them up when Julie’s picture showed that she is of Asian descent on the app, so Bowen had to replace her profile picture with a fake one on the Uber app. They get out of the Uber at Bowen’s track practice, but the team starts yelling at him for getting their coach sick because they say he gave the coach a water bottle before the man fell ill. Bowen defends himself saying that just because he is Chinese does not mean he has COVID-19. Knox defends Bowen, and the coach comes over, coughing heavily, telling them to leave Bowen alone.

When the kids get home, their box of belongings from Hong Kong has arrived.

Knox researches ways to confront racism and learns about ICEE, which stands for “interrupt, correct, educate, and echo,” and he realizes that things have gotten better for both himself and Christopher since they have started echoing support for each other (275). The kids hear on the news that COVID-19 is now in their county.

Knox shows Bowen the racist remarks about Christopher’s restaurant. Knox explains what he learned about responding to racism, but Bowen thinks that sometimes it is better to just ignore comments. Bowen does not want to confront kids on his track team because he must continue to practice with them.

Bowen goes into the garage to look for supplies to make popcorn, and he finds his headphones that Knox hid. Bowen is furious because the headphones were important to him because they were from their father. Knox insists that he was going to return the headphones, but Bowen does not believe him. Bowen feels like Knox does not care about him, and Knox accuses Bowen of not wanting to be his brother. Knox grabs his stuff and runs out the door.

Knox hikes quite a distance. He wants to call Andrew, but he knows he cannot, so he composes a voice message for him on his iPad. In the message, which cannot be sent because he has no Wi-Fi, he tells his father about the headphones and says that Andrew is the only one who understands him. He mentions that his mother is away, and then composes the message he wishes his father would say. The message tells Knox that he can stay away as long as he wants and that Andrew knows his mother and sister want Knox back and that Bowen loves and needs him. Finding a large tree, Knox falls asleep under its branches.

The next morning, Knox hears his mom, brother, and sister calling for him as he wakes. They find Knox and all apologize to one another. Knox wants to know how Julie’s interview went and discovers that it went well. Later, Julie asks what the boys each wishes the other knew, and Knox says that he regrets taking the headphones, and Bowen says he appreciates that Knox echoed him. Julie tells them that in this uncontrollable world, the one thing they can control is how they treat other people. Lea enters the room and says that their father knows that Julie was gone because Knox’s message was sent when he came back within Wi-Fi range.

Julie and Andrew argue, and Andrew insists they come home. The kids tell their father that they do not want to return to Hong Kong. Still, Andrew insists that they all fly home.

Lea plans to start packing, and Bowen confirms that he likes that Knox echoed him, but he really wishes the kids would stop picking on him. The kids think that perhaps their father will allow them to stay in the US if he gets a job offer in the country. At school, the teacher announces that the governor announced a state of emergency, and Christopher urges Knox to go to the store to stock up on basics.

Knox has the interview with the supervisor at the country club as Andrew, and he assures the man that he is good under pressure. He secures a second interview for their father.

The kids are excited, and Bowen tells them that tickets are now only $1,000 from Hong Kong.