"I want to be free to be me " could be Emme's (aka Emmeline Edwards) mantra. She is wearing an invisible hundred pound chain around her neck weighing her down all because of her name. She is named after her grandmother and great-great-grandmother who leave a legacy behind that her hometown community embraces and Emme has no knowledge of other than reminders such as street signs, buildings, and parks bearing the family name. Where does that leave room for Emme to be her own person?
Emme is suffering under self suffocation with her family history and wants desperately to be free of it all. Her misery spills over to all those around her. Her parents and relatives are saddened because she refuses to have anyone call her using her name and demands for a change. Her friends refuse to suffer with her in her misery as they don't think her quest to change her name is valid. Emme becomes conflicted when they won't join in with her.
As Emme demands to have her name changed, her parents place a demand that she find out who she is named after before that can happen. Emme feels lost, depressed, and angry over their request. How can she survive such a demand and be a normal teenager, which is all she really wants.