In the offices of online magazine "Depravity", editor Susan is dealing with Danni, a photo editor
that wants to make it as a writer. Her article "Why am I so sad" describes the ways she feels
empty inside by blaming it on privileged facts like living in New York City and not
having been in the country when 9/11 happened, which was supposed to define her generation.
Susan obviously turns it down and calls Danni out for being tone-deaf, which is a huge part of her
personality. Danni is still obsessed with being popular, and she shows it by the way she chases
after the most successful writers at work like a puppy. Everyone ignores her for being extremely
bland and superficial, including her crush Colin, a coworker of hers and a big social influencer.
She's so tone-deaf that she doesn't see what a hypocrite she is for complaining about the lack
of attention from the popular employees while she ignores the underdogs that try to socialize with
her. Danni doesn't even bother to learn the names of said underdogs, but her awful manners appear
when she interacts with the popular workers too: when she overhears queer writers Harper and Larson
are having a "queer bowling night", she tries to invite herself, claiming to be one of them just
because she kissed a girl in college once. When Harper informs her she can't come, Danni has the
nerve to say queer people are lucky because they have a community and their parades while she'll be
spending the night alone in her apartment. One afternoon, Danni wants to check the new matcha
cafe in town and bumps into Colin, who doesn't even know who she is even. Danni strikes up a
conversation anyway and pretends she likes smoking the same way he does, going as far as accepting to
taste his weird-looking cigarette when he offers and lying about her position in the magazine,
claiming to be into writing already. She also mentions the possibility of going on a writer's
retreat sometime, and when Colin expresses real interest in that, Danni goes all out with the lie
and says she'll be going on a retreat to Paris next week. When she returns home, Danni tries
to solve this because she doesn't have the money to actually travel to Paris and there's no way
her parents will help. Suddenly, her guinea pig walks all over her keyboard while she's editing
some pictures, and the juxtaposition of photos gives Danni an idea: she can pretend to be in
Paris by uploading edited pictures to her social media. Danni goes all out with the lie, calling
Susan to ask for her vacation days and letting her parents know that she's going on a trip, she even
designs a fake website for the supposed retreat she's joining. She puts more work into these
pictures than she usually does at her actual job and this earns her a modest amount of followers,
including Colin himself. A few days after this started, Danni posts a picture of herself in the
Arc de Triomphe, being careful to calculate the timezone difference to make her comment match the
right time of the day in France. Afterward, she goes to sleep, only to wake up in the morning to
find dozens of notifications asking how she is. It turns out that early in the morning,
a string of coordinated terrorist attacks hit several major Parisian landmarks, including the
place from Danni's picture. The criminals haven't been found yet, but multiple witnesses have
reported seeing a suspicious individual wearing a green jacket. Danni's phone won't stop vibrating
with messages from friends and family, and her mother directly calls her to check on her, asking
her to come back. Nervous with fear and pressure, Danni begins wondering if she should come clean
until she also gets a message from Colin. That's when it hits her: being a tragedy survivor gives
her the attention she's always wanted, thus she decides to keep the lie up and make a post telling
everyone she's fine. The next day, Danni sneaks around the airport with a suitcase and joins the
crowd coming back from France to pretend she's also a new arrival. Her parents Judith and Harold
are there to receive her with tears and a hug, yet Danni puts most of her attention on looking
upset for the reporters. Moments later, at her parents' house, Danni is spoiled in a way she
never was before, so she goes all out with the lie and says she had been very close to the explosion,
having walked away only seconds before it went off. That night, she has a dream of being in Paris
and being followed by the green jacket stranger. The attention she receives doubles when she goes
to work the following day and everyone receive her like a celebrity. With her best pitiful face,
Susan informs Danni that she can take the day off if she needs it and that she'll help in any way.
Still eager to take advantage of this whole situation, Danni asks for permission to write
an article about her whole experience, and Susan agrees to publish it. Then, Danni tells
all her coworkers an over-dramatic lie about her experience in Paris, which earns her lots
of attention, sympathy, and even an invitation to queer bowling night from Harold. Even Colin
comes to check on her and gifts her a get-well cigarette. Later in the subway, Danni notices her
picture on a news account and comments mentioning that's her, which brings hundreds of new followers
to her socials. When the light flickers, Danni thinks she can see the green jacket stranger
nearby, but blames it on her mind playing tricks on her. The next step to solidify the lie is to
write the article, but Danni doesn't know what to write considering she didn't really go through
this trauma. A solution comes to mind when she remembers her mother mentioning a support group
for survivors, and decides to pay them a visit to gather inspiration from their experiences. The
group is led by Linda, who understands if Danni doesn't want to talk on her first day because her
trauma is still so fresh. Many people there have things to say, but the one that expresses herself
the best is Rowan, a teenager that survived a school shooting. Danni is bored by the meeting
and doesn't intend to come back, but when she overhears a member mentioning Rowan being huge
online, Danni magically becomes friendlier and tries to socialize with Rowan, asking for her
number and promising to hang out some time while ignoring other members asking for the same thing.
When she gets home, Danni searches Rowan online and discovers she's a very important activist
in the anti-gun movement and her speeches are powerful because of how much raw emotion she puts
into them. Sometime later, Danni texts Rowan to invite her to hang out, and Rowan gladly accepts
because she needs a friend that understands and is closer to her in age, like an older sister. Of
course Danni's intentions aren't that pure: she wants Rowan's advice on how to write a powerful
article. Rowan accepts to help, but instead of taking Danni to a cafe, she takes her to a place
known as "Rage Space". Here, people can pay to destroy things as a way to channel all their inner
dark emotions. Tone-deaf as usual, Danni has fun with it and laughs, but Rowan ends the experience
in tears as she explains this is how she writes: you have to expose your own truth, because if
you're not okay, that's okay asain is your biggest asset. Excited to have the inspiration she needs,
Danni returns home ready to write. Her article explains that people don't need to hear her
experience, because what matters is that pain can be an asset and everyone should be allowed to
express themselves instead of scrolling through so many dooming headlines, for which she encourages
everyone to use the hashtag "I am not okay". The article is a hit among Danni's coworkers,
especially Colin, but something begins rubbing Harper wrong. Once the article is published, Danni
sends it to Rowan pretending to be a gesture of gratitude but hoping Rowan will share it with her
followers. Rowan feels strange about seeing her own words rewritten like that, but she shares the
article anyway because she wants to be supportive of other survivors. Thanks to Rowan, Danni's
article goes viral; soon everyone is sharing their feelings using Danni's hashtag, even celebrities,
and Danni's name is known now as an important influencer. The next time Danni visits the
support group, she begins talking about sharing her pain through the article, but she forgets to
keep the act for long and begins gushing about her fame. Rowan gets uncomfortable but tries to stay
supportive, reminding Danni about being careful when it comes to internet trolls. After the
meeting, Danni learns about a kickball game the group will be having on the weekend and promises
to go. Rowan also shares about the incoming talent show in her school which she isn't sure she should
join with her poetry, but Danni encourages her to do it because she's incredibly talented with
words. The moment gets awkward when Rowan admits this is harder without the support of her sister,
who died during the shooting. After Danni leaves Rowan at her school, she notices a street ad and
once again, thinks the green jacket stranger is there with her. Sometime later at the office,
there's a small casual party to celebrate Danni's article becoming the most popular publication in
the magazine in years. The underdogs keep trying to talk to Danni to share how she's inspired them,
but Danni keeps ignoring them in favor of Colin, who invites her to a party next weekend and Danni
accepts while forgetting about Rowan's invitation to the kickball match. Then, Danni is approached
by Harper, who wants to hear more about Danni's experience in Paris. The details that Danni
manages to make up on the spot only help increase her suspicion. On Saturday, Danni goes to Colin's
party, which is filled with spots to take selfies for their socials and product placements from
sponsors. Danni gets to spend some time with Colin doing shots and making tone-deaf clips
for Instagram, but even in the middle of having fun, Danni sees the green jacket stranger among
the crowd. This is starting to get on her nerves badly, so she asks Colin to get out of here,
which Colin gladly accepts in order to take her to the bathroom and get frisky. Unfortunately, Danni
doesn't have a good time because Colin finishes too soon while still connected. Frustrated and
disappointed, Danni goes to the nearest pharmacy to buy some Plan B and avoid accidental babies.
Then, she checks her socials, noticing Colin already hanging out with other girls at the
party and Rowan having a modest but fun time at the game. This gives Danni a huge wake-up call
about the company she keeps and hurries to join the support group at their kickball match. Danni
has never been a sports person, but the evening turns out to be lots of fun and shows her where
good people truly are. Rowan once again expresses her gratitude for having a young person in the
group now, especially since she doesn't have her sister anymore, and Danni volunteers to help her
with the preparations for the next rally so she can have the support she needs. From then on,
Danni begins making more posts about important causes and promoting Rowan's organization,
although she doesn't shy away from the more superficial aspects of interviews like showing
off her fashion style. Sometime later, Harper brings her latest article to Danni because Susan
wants her to add "her viral touch", but Danni is heading out for the rally so she promises
to look into it later. On her way out, Danni is approached by Colin, who wants to ask her out, but
Danni only sees him as a loser now and turns all his invitations down. Meanwhile, Harper realizes
Danni left her laptop open with a video running, the lack of password gives Harper the opportunity
to snoop around a little bit. A moment later, Rowan and Linda pick Danni up, and this is how
she learns they're mother and daughter. Linda used to work at the school where the shooting happened
before she quit in order to work for the support group. Rowan is obviously nervous about today,
knowing there are always dangerous detractors that can cause trouble during the rally, so Danni helps
her relax by playing the songs Rowan had mentioned enjoying with her sister. Once the girls reach
their destination, security helps them get on the stage, where Rowan allows Danni to speak first.
Danni has prepared an adequate speech for the event, speaking respectfully of the issue of gun
control and mentioning Rowan's sister, saying she should be here instead of her, although she can't
help including her incident in France too. Among the crowd, Danni once again sees the green jacket
stranger, but this time she manages to ignore it to keep her attention on the speech. Unfortunately
the act doesn't last long: a group of trolls that calls them "snowflakes" throws some firecrackers
at the stage, causing everyone to leave in fear and for Rowan to go through a PTSD attack. Their
private security guides the girls out safely, but the police don't do much, and reporters won't
back up when Danni asks them to give them some space. Hours later, Rowan is hospitalized and her
collapse is all over the news, with thousands of comments insulting her on social media,
considering her weak and laughing at the fact the firecracker brand was "Truth Bomb". A war veteran
even goes as far as accusing Rowan of having lied about being a school shooting survivor. The
disgusting sight of it all leaves Danni in tears, but she puts herself together when it's her turn
to visit Rowan. The poor girl feels she failed to be an example, crying over her shame and weakness,
thus Danni tries to remind her trolls' opinions don't matter. However Danni begins feeling ashamed
when Rowan wonders how she can stay so strong all the time. Their conversation is interrupted when
the doctor comes by to check on Rowan, and Danni uses the excuse to go home. On her way out, Danni
is stopped by Linda, who thanks her for supporting Rowan today as the only person that understands,
which makes Danni's guilt worse. When she gets home, Danni has another nightmare of her in Paris,
and this time she has to watch Rowan run towards the area of the explosion. Desperate to save her,
Danni goes after her, only to bump into the green jacket stranger and discover her own face
under the hood. The nightmare comes to a sudden stop as Danni wakes up thanks to the doorbell:
it's Harper, who has found out the truth after she looked into Danni's computer. Harper wants her to
come clean and gives her time until Monday, otherwise, she'll write an exposing article
herself. In tears, Danni tries to explain she's a better person now yet tries to bribe Harper,
who yells at her to remind her that people died and that she owes Rowan an apology.
After having a breakout all over the apartment, Danni decides to write her truth so she can
at least offer her side of the story. She says she takes full responsibility for her actions,
yet she also mentions the day the lie started she had been depressed and under the effects
of pot. She swears she regrets her actions, and promises she's working to change for the better,
for which coming clean is the first step. Danni also considers going to the support group to
apologize to everyone face to face, especially Rowan, but when she gets closer to the building,
she gets scared and runs away. The next morning, the article is published and quickly goes viral,
making Rowan's name trend as well. As soon as she sees it, Rowan comes to the office to yell
at Danni in front of everyone, expressing all her hurt over this betrayal and how she
had to find out over a stupid article instead of deserving a conversation face to face. Their fight
is interrupted by Susan, who fires Danni on the spot and makes her leave. In the following weeks,
Danni has to live with the consequences of her actions. People on the internet are expressing
her anger toward her in all kinds of ways, from mild comments calling her a bad person to all-out
death threats and doxing. Falling into depression again, Danni stays in her apartment, drinking most
of the time, and only leaves when she needs to restock her fridge. But even at the store, she
has to see her face in magazines and newspapers, not to mention the people that don't hesitate to
harass her in real life. For the sake of her safety, Danni moves back with her parents, but
things aren't any better there: Harold tries to be understanding even if he also gets death threats
at work, but Judith is furious and yells at her with as many shameful comments as she can come
up with. Eventually, the attacks on social media become too much, and Danni decides to deactivate
all her accounts. Almost two months later, Danni begins attending the meetings of a support group
for people that have been through online shaming. Thanks to lots of self-reflection, Danni admits
she's discovered she never liked herself very much, and now she hates herself even more for not
having seen what an easy, privileged life she used to have. She can't even be sure if she's grown
or learned anything, so to get started, the group leader advises making amends with the people she's
hurt face to face instead of an online apology. Danni agrees it may help, so she decides to attend
the talent show at Rowan's school, wearing a cap to go unnoticed in the crowd. She's brought a full
apology written on her phone, and she keeps going over it to memorize it while other people are on
the stage. However things quickly take a sour turn when Rowan's turn comes up next: her monologue
isn't about her usual activism, instead she rants about her feelings having been used as clickbait,
not to mention how people like Danni get documentaries while Rowan's community is told
to sit and wait. Her monologue gets an outstanding ovation from the public and as Danni watches her
run to hug her mother, she realizes the apology would be for her own benefit rather than for
her friend's. Deciding to do the right thing, Danni leaves the building, crying in silence.