A coming-of-age story set in Calhoun Hall, The Earth is Flat follows purple-haired Ethan as he takes his first tentative steps toward self-knowledge. Day one he meets his roommate, Derek, who's popular, social, and seems to have it all together. Day two, Ethan's brother dies in an accident, sending Ethan back home to deal with his ambitious sister and his pill-addicted mother. While there, Derek and Ethan write letters in which Derek reveals he's become obsessed with conspiracy theories about the earth being flat. When Ethan returns to college, he and Derek share a kiss, but Derek isn't gay, and Ethan's embarrassment propels him further toward the theories. Will Derek and he ever repair their friendship? Will college ever be "normal"?