Two masked men break into the home of lawyer Quinn, who is disliked by the local community due to his obsession with defending rapists and all kinds of criminals. His wife is murdered in front of their two daughters. The two young girls are tortured. Twenty-eight years later, a murderous attack at a school brings the family's traumatic past back to life and becomes the catalyst for secrets that haunted the daily lives of its members to come to light.

Through the terrifying story of the two girls, narrated in a way reminiscent of a cinematic film, Karin Slaughter (born Georgia 1971) addresses issues such as school bullying, gun ownership, rape, the functioning of the police and justice system, the death penalty, and how roles are defined within a family.