Libby Rose Baker travels from Los Angeles to Palmer Ridge, Nebraska to pick up a car her uncle is giving her as a graduation present. While there, she goes on a date with Bubba Watkins. When he attempts to rape her, Libby accidentally kills the boy while trying to defend herself. That one act becomes the catalyst that changes the lives of nine people. The impact stretches from Boston to Nebraska to Los Angeles.
Set in the late 1950s, this is a story of cover-ups and pay-offs. It is the story of the quest for power and of friendships made and lost. It is a story of life in the Golden Age of Hollywood and of a secret society exerting control throughout the country.