Travis's parents are New York Philharmonic musicians. They take a year's sabbatical with the Munich Philharmonic and take Travis to Germany with them. In a new country in the summer without friends nearby, 14-year-old Travis takes to a bicycle and thinks of the sexuality of a boy turning into a man. His parents give him no attention. His violin teacher, Werner, is happy to give him attention, pointing out that the German age of consent is 14. Then farmer Gerhard gives him attention too.
Mario's saga continues, as Eric and Bobbie meet Carly, everyone clicks, and they all get to bond in even more intimate ways. This segment is probably going to be two or three chapters before it's done.
A mysterious alien ray gun turns up at Dan's front porch and shakes up his life, as well as those of his neighbors, friends, family, etc. Suffice it to say that the answer that question is, "Yes!"
Robert thinks that his world has been shattered when he finds out that his father shares his mother, but the discovery of a huge cache of her home made videos turns his disgust into curiosity, and finally obsession.
At 14, Danny should have aged out to a work program in the 1870s from Eli Phillips's Iowa farm orphanage, but Eli takes too much sexual pleasure from the boy. While Eli is absent, his wife, Sarah, sells Danny to male brothel suppliers Meachem and Grant to take Danny west. Danny's goal is California, so he willingly goes with them and serves the men they sell his body to. Landing in Colorado, he's short of his goal, wanting to go to the coast and a man who will love and protect him.