The play is adapted from the novel of the same name written by Jay Asher, which won the New York Times Best Selling Award in 2007. The story tells about a teenager Clay (played by Dylan Minnette) who received a shoebox one night, which contained a tape of a female classmate Hannah (played by Katherine Langford) who committed suicide and died. There are instructions in the tape to hand the tape from one student to another to explain to 12 classmates with 13 reasons what their role in her death is and why she committed suicide. Brandon Flynn plays Justin, a basketball player with star strength but also star arrogance, Christian Navarro plays Tony, a lonely person, but he will stand up for the right thing, Alisha Boe plays Jessica, Hannah's friend, until a vicious quarrel separates. Justin Prentice plays Bryce, who has an indulgent style and good looks, Devin Druid plays Tyler, a photographer who likes to hold a camera, and Miles Heizer plays Alex, who is introspective, artistic, and emotional. Ross Butler plays Zach. Derek Luke plays Mr. Porter, Hannah's counselor. Kate Walsh plays Hannah's mother, and Brian d'Arcy James plays Hannah's father, who is a pharmacist with his own small business, but after his daughter's death, he indulges himself in work and keeps his shop from being crushed by competitors, and thus escapes the reality of losing his daughter. Amy Hargreaves plays a regular role, Ms. Jensen, the mother of the male protagonist Clay. She has a cheerful personality, a close relationship with her son, and is compassionate and concerned about her son. However, Clay calls her a "helicopter parent" (describing these parents as helicopters, hovering around their children and airborne at any time to help their children solve problems). However, this fair lawyer does lack objectivity when dealing with his son.