Based on the 2007 New York Times bestselling book by Jay Asher, "13 Reasons Why" follows a boy named Clay (Minnette) through an emotional night when he receives a shoe box of cassette tapes from his late classmate and crush Hannah (Langford), after she recently committed suicide. On the tapes, which are mailed with instructions to pass along from one student to another, Hannah explains to 12 peers how they each played a role in her death, by giving 13 reasons explaining why she took her life.