TSIAAS focuses on the development/ coming of age of the two main characters: Daniel and Natasha. They both go through the struggles of doubting their own identities (that they've set for themselves, with Natasha relying on cold hard facts and Daniel being romantic and dreamy). They meet the exact opposite of themselves, and were forced to rethink their ways of life. In the end, they settled for the best of both sides. Identity is huge in TSIAAS due to the topics religion, race, country, family, assimilation vs. acculturation being directly intertwined with the characters.