The conversation revolves around Serena, a girl who has been adopted from Romania and has a quirky personality. She was adopted when she was a baby and doesn't look like her family. She was born in Romania and has a small piece of trivia about Romanians being allergic to the sun and not eating garlic.
Serena was adopted when she was a baby and doesn't look like her family. She was born in Romania and has a small piece of trivia about Romanians being allergic to the sun and not eating garlic.
She has a brother named Fred who is super smart and solves math equations in his sleep. However, he hates outdoor activities and is awkward. One day, Serena gets lost while chasing butterflies and ends up near a woman who is trying to kidnap her. The woman is arrested, and Serena's parents become overprotective of her.
Serena's life changes when she sees a 16-year-old Russian swimmer, Mariana, win a gold medal on TV. She becomes obsessed with Mariana and wants to be just like her. She joins a swim team and becomes a natural within a year. However, things go wrong when Mariana, who is recovering from an injury, joins their high school. Mariana treats Serena poorly, and Serena becomes depressed.
Serena discovers that Mariana is using performance-enhancing pills, which she had bought from a homeless man. She confronts Mariana and the head coach, who insists on testing Mariana. Mariana is suspended during the investigation, and all the blood work comes out clear. Mariana fails at the Regionals, and Serena feels terrible for her.
In the end, Mariana reveals that her family had to flee Russia due to some bad men who were after her father. She had to fake an injury to get quick visas to come to America for medical treatment. Now, she can never go back and can never swim for another country if she wants to keep her family safe. She also reveals that she had to be really tough and fight for her place to become a champion in Russia. She apologizes to Serena for being mean and horrible.
1. The speaker, Serena, was adopted from Romania when she was a baby.
2. Serena's adoptive family is very protective of her, treating her like a porcelain doll.
3. Serena's parents were overly cautious and protective of her, even to the point of missing her brother's science fairs and chess matches.
4. Serena was obsessed with a 16-year-old Russian swimmer named Mariana, who won a gold medal.
5. Serena joined the high school swim team and even won a local competition.
6. Mariana, the swimmer Serena admired, was recovering from an injury at a local medical center.
7. Serena discovered that Mariana was buying a strange packet from a homeless man.
8. Serena found a Reddit thread about athletes using performance-enhancing pills, which led her to believe that Mariana was using such pills.
9. Serena's suspicions about Mariana were confirmed when she found the same type of pills in Mariana's locker.
10. Mariana was suspended from the school and the swim team during the investigation into the pills.
11. Mariana's blood work came out clear, revealing that the pills were actually Russian vitamins.
12. Mariana failed at the Regionals due to the media attention and headlines.
13. Mariana's family had to flee Russia due to threats, and they had to fake an injury to get visas to come to America for Mariana's medical treatment.
14. Mariana was forced to give up swimming for another country to keep her family safe.
15. Mariana finally admitted that Serena was good at swimming, which made Serena extremely happy.