Parallels: Year One is a visual novel that stays true to the classification, with a focus on gorgeous visuals and a story-first approach. Taking place in a modern, vaguely southeastern American city, an arguably unrealistic high school, and with an occasional dip into alternate universes--Parallels is a drama centered around Ron Harvey and Jessica Wethington. Jessica, a cheerleader struggling with her schoolwork, decides through a few small lies to recruit the smartest student in her class, Ron Harvey, to be her personal tutor. Conflict arises between the two as Ron seems to be unreasonably miserable about their arrangement, despite accepting the proposal. This sets the pair down a path of learning that each of them has more to their story than the tropes they immediately pin each other for, and just might force them to confront uncomfortable truths about themselves and each