Kate O’Brien's whole life has been a series of setbacks she’s had to snake her way out of, but she's determined to change that.  As the scholarship student at the Waverly School in NYC, Kate has her work cut out for her: her plan is to climb the social ladder and land a spot at Yale. She’s already befriended the cosseted, mega-wealthy yet deeply damaged Olivia Sumner. When the handsome and whip-smart Mark Redkin joins the Waverly administration, he becomes especially close to Olivia, a fact she’s intent on keeping to herself. It becomes increasingly obvious that Redkin poses a threat to Kate, too, in a way she can’t reveal --- and can’t afford to ignore.

Katie's life is falling apart: her best friend thinks she's a freak; her mother, Caroline, controls every aspect of her life; and her estranged grandmother, Mary, appears as if out of nowhere. Mary has dementia and needs lots of care, and when Katie starts putting together Mary's life story, secrets and lies are uncovered. As the relationship between Mary and Caroline is explored, Katie begins to understand her own mother's behavior, and from that insight, the terrors about her sexuality, her future and her younger brother are all put into perspective.