An adolescent navigates desire, friendship, family difficulties, and eventual acceptance of his intimate nature.
Story Structure — 4 Plot Phases
A Kiss In Manchester
The protagonist travels to Manchester for a language stay and meets another Icelandic adolescent. After drinking, they kiss, leaving the protagonist unsettled by the experience.
Key Events
Language Stay Begins — The sixteen-year-old Icelandic protagonist begins a three-week language stay in Manchester.
Location: Manchester
Icelandic Meeting — The protagonist meets another Icelandic adolescent during the stay.
Location: Manchester
Contrasting Appearance — The new acquaintance appears conventionally masculine and interested in girls.
Location: Manchester
Future Career Talk — The acquaintance says he intends to become a hairdresser after returning to school.
Location: Manchester
Drunken Night — After a night of drinking, the two Icelandic adolescents kiss.
Location: Manchester
Physical Unease — The kiss causes the protagonist to experience an intense physical reaction.
Location: Manchester
Reykjavik Avoidance
After returning to Reykjavik, the protagonist avoids the adolescent connected to the kiss. He instead spends time with friends while drinking and seeking distraction.
Key Events
Return To Reykjavik — The protagonist returns to Reykjavik after the three-week stay.
Location: Reykjavik
Avoiding The Kiss — Back home, the protagonist avoids the adolescent connected to the kiss.
Location: Reykjavik
Group Socializing — The adolescent group spends time going out, having fun, and drinking too much. Characters: Gréta, Teddi, StellaLocation: Reykjavik
Stella Confides — Stella makes the protagonist her confidant. Characters: StellaLocation: Reykjavik
Unnoticed Affection — The protagonist does not realize that Stella is in love with him. Characters: StellaLocation: Reykjavik
Friends In Difficulty
Stella confides in the protagonist without him recognizing her love. Gréta searches for an unacknowledging father, while Teddi receives advice about his romantic life.
Key Events
Gréta's Search — Gréta searches for her father, who has not acknowledged her. Characters: GrétaLocation: Reykjavik
Advice For Teddi — The protagonist advises Teddi about his romantic situation. Characters: TeddiLocation: Reykjavik
Teddi's Romance — Teddi's relationships and his connection with Tara become a subject of advice. Characters: TeddiLocation: Reykjavik
Parental Surveillance — The adolescents are more or less monitored by their parents. Characters: Gréta, Teddi, StellaLocation: Reykjavik
Adult Difficulties — The parents are also struggling with their own lives and identities. Characters: Gréta, Teddi, StellaLocation: Reykjavik
Drama And Acceptance
The adolescents remain under parental observation while their parents face personal difficulties. A drama unites the group and helps the protagonist accept his intimate nature.
Key Events
Adult Difficulties — The parents are also struggling with their own lives and identities. Characters: Gréta, Teddi, StellaLocation: Reykjavik
Unexpected Drama — A dramatic event disrupts the adolescents' unstable social and emotional lives. Characters: Gréta, Teddi, StellaLocation: Reykjavik
Friends Draw Together — The drama bonds the small group of friends more closely. Characters: Gréta, Teddi, StellaLocation: Reykjavik
Private Nature Accepted — The protagonist begins accepting his intimate nature after the group's ordeal. Characters: Gréta, Teddi, StellaLocation: Reykjavik
Emotional Consolidation — The friends' shared experience provides emotional cohesion as the story closes. Characters: Gréta, Teddi, StellaLocation: Reykjavik
Story Breakdown
Manchester Arrival — A language stay introduces the protagonist to a new social and emotional situation.
Language Exchange — The protagonist spends three weeks in Manchester for a language stay.
Icelandic Encounter — He meets another Icelandic adolescent during the stay.
Unexpected Kiss — A drunken night changes the protagonist's understanding of his relationship with the acquaintance.
Drunken Night — The two adolescents drink together before kissing.
Physical Reaction — The kiss gives the protagonist an intense sensation of unease.
Return And Avoidance — Back in Reykjavik, the protagonist uses his friend group and nightlife to avoid confronting the kiss.
Homecoming — The protagonist returns from Manchester to Reykjavik.
Social Distraction — He goes out with friends and drinks excessively.
Hidden Affections — The friends' emotional lives reveal desires and problems that remain only partly understood.
Stella's Confidence — Stella treats the protagonist as her confidant.
Unrecognized Love — The protagonist fails to notice Stella's love for him.
Friends In Crisis — Gréta and Teddi face different relationship difficulties within the same adolescent circle.
Gréta's Father Search — Gréta looks for a father who has not acknowledged her.
Teddi's Romance — The protagonist advises Teddi about his romantic relationship with Tara.
Family Pressure — The adolescents are watched by parents whose own lives are troubled.
Parental Monitoring — The young people are more or less supervised by their parents.
Adult Struggles — The parents are described as having difficulties with their own existence.
Shared Drama — A dramatic event transforms the friend group and creates collective solidarity.
Group Bonding — The drama brings the small group of friends together.
Emotional Acceptance — The protagonist comes to accept his intimate nature.
An unexpected first kiss causes Gabriel to feel the electrifying "jitters" of love and lust with the free-spirited Marcus; a perfect way to end a Summer studying abroad. Realizing he is gay, Gabriel returns home and is immediately scrutinized by his family and friends who notice he’s different. But as the school year launches with Gabriel distracted with parties and his friends’ own dramas, Marcus returns, reigniting the hot, thrilling emotions of one’s first crush. Jitters fires head-first into the topsy-turvy world of first love with an attractive cast and pulsating soundtrack, making it a smartly refreshing journey into the queer, teen experience.
