Northern California, during the violent end of the 1960s. When Evie Boyd sees a group of girls in the park, she is struck by their freedom, their careless dress, their dangerous aura of abandon. In this finalist for the National Book Critics Circle award, Evie is soon in thrall to Suzanne, a mesmerizing older girl, and is drawn into a soon-to-be infamous cult under the control of a charismatic yet ruthless man. Eager to be accepted, Evie movies to their sprawling ranch, hidden in the hills. As she spends more time away from her mother and the rhythms of her daily life, and as her obsession with Suzanne intensifies, Evie does not realize she is coming closer and closer to unthinkable violence.