This novel is about the reunion of two estranged friends, Lenna and Rhiannon, amidst a mysterious and secluded women-and-children-only intentional community. The narrative shifts between the present day and flashbacks, revealing a web of secrets, betrayals, and hidden motives. The story delves into the complex relationships between the characters, leading to a dramatic climax.
In the present day, Lenna, a new mother to five-month-old Jacob, embarks on a journey to the Sonoran Desert to visit Rhiannon, a friend from her past with whom she had a falling out over two years ago. Lenna’s husband, Daniel, is unaware of her whereabouts as she left a note explaining her departure. Rhiannon now lives in an intentional community called Halcyon Ranch, which prohibits men and discourages questions about one’s past.
In a flashback, two years prior, Lenna and Rhiannon’s friendship blossoms when they meet in Los Angeles. However, their relationship becomes strained when Gillian, who runs a popular anxiety blog, enters the picture. Gillian admires Rhiannon and struggles to befriend her despite her social anxiety. As the women navigate their friendship, Lenna joins the same workplace as Rhiannon, The City Gossip, and expresses an interest in journalism.
Back in the present day, Lenna arrives at Halcyon Ranch with Rhiannon as her escort and meets other women living on the compound. The household rules, including a ban on men and avoiding questions about each other’s past, leave Lenna wondering why she and Rhiannon haven’t discussed their falling out.
In another flashback, Lenna and Rhiannon’s friendship faces more obstacles as Lenna starts flirting with Frederick, a co-worker. Rhiannon disapproves of Frederick, then mysteriously takes a leave of absence from work. During her absence, Lenna befriends Gillian, who shares her suspicions that Rhiannon is jealous. Their growing friendship leads them to believe Rhiannon should not return to her job at The City Gossip.
Meanwhile, Gillian’s blog posts reveal her dissatisfaction with her friendship with “S” (Sadie) and her support from followers struggling with anxiety.
In the present, Lenna and Rhiannon take a hike, avoiding discussing their falling out. Lenna recalls when Rhiannon called her a few weeks prior, revealing she had a son, Teddy, despite insisting she didn’t want kids.
In another flashback, Lenna, influenced by Gillian, anonymously messages her and Rhiannon’s boss, Rich, alleging that Rhiannon sells Valium to coworkers, leading to Rhiannon’s firing. Gillian also shares with Lenna that Sadie is trying to conceive using IVF and hints at interfering with her fertility medicine during a drunken conversation.
Back in the present, Sadie returns to the ranch from a nearby hospital after fertility treatments. Lenna recognizes her as Gillian’s former friend and roommate.
In another flashback, Lenna confronts Gillian outside her home, leading to a fight in which Gillian is accidentally thrown off a canyon’s side. Gillian’s disappearance raises suspicion, and Sadie becomes a person of interest but is ultimately cleared. Lenna meets Daniel shortly after, clouding her memory of the events surrounding Gillian’s death.
In the present, Lenna accuses Rhiannon and Sadie of conspiring to punish her for her past actions, and they decide to investigate Rhiannon’s motives together.
In a flashback from Sadie’s perspective, she becomes friends with Gillian, leading to their roommate arrangement. They fall out due to Sadie’s desire to have a baby, and Sadie discovers Gillian’s deception about her job at the magazine. After overhearing Lenna’s threat to reveal the deception and interfere with Sadie’s fertility treatments, Sadie hits Lenna, leading to Gillian’s fall and disappearance.
Back in the present, Lenna and Sadie search Rhiannon’s room, finding a photo of Rhiannon with an older pregnant woman and a threatening note. Lenna realizes that Rhiannon’s story about her mother driving into water, killing her brother, was a lie.
In a flashback from Rhiannon’s perspective, she receives a mysterious call offering to pay her buy-in fee to the commune if she recruits Lenna and Sadie. When Lenna arrives, Rhiannon is instructed to keep her around, but she grows suspicious of the anonymous voice’s intentions.
In the present, Lenna and Sadie climb a peak to get cell service and Google the commune’s members. They find criticism about Marjorie and the commune online, leading to their leg injuries from poisonous darts.
In another flashback from Rhiannon’s perspective, she arrives at the commune and falls in love with the lifestyle but is told she needs to pay the buy-in fee. An anonymous voice offers to pay the fee in exchange for recruiting Lenna and Sadie, and Rhiannon reluctantly complies. Coral, a young woman in the commune, is revealed as the anonymous voice and knocks Rhiannon out.
In the present, Lenna, Sadie, and Jacob wake up in a dark cave tied up. Coral approaches with a lit stick of dynamite, but they are saved by Matilda, Coral’s best friend, who shoots Coral in the leg. They escape the explosion, and Coral is killed.
In the aftermath, Marjorie is exposed as a fraud, and Sarah turns herself in for Gillian’s murder, receiving a jail sentence. Lenna leaves the commune, ending her friendship with Rhiannon. She reunites with Daniel and speculates that Gillian might still be alive, as her body was never found.