Seventeen-year-old Nessa Harding's world-previously filled with light and colour has faded to black and white. Her father, a frustrated poet, has left home. Her mother, a talented seascape painter, is in the midst of a nervous breakdown. Nessa's one solace, her dog Cocoa, is shipped off to the countryside when she and her mother are forced to move into a pet-free building. To make matters worse, it's Nessa's graduating year, she has no idea what she wants to do after high school, and Bryce Sinclair, star of the basketball team, only has eyes for Myla Dornwood. With her three besties-Rosie, Steph, and Tony-carrying on endlessly about prom, Nessa feels more depressed than ever.

Set against the backdrop of modern-day Montreal, Zebra-Girl is a powerful and personal story that digs deep into the turmoil of the teen experience, exploring mental health, unrequited love, the opposing desires for independence and aid, and what it means to love someone-really love someone-for exactly who they are.