But their sixteen-year-old son Adam has been unusually distant and aloof lately, and after the recent suicide of his classmate and close friend Spencer Hill (who took vodka and tablets on his school's roof in the night and died), they can't help but worry.

They install a spy program on Adam's computer and within days they are jolted by a strange message to their son from a correspondent known only as CeeJay8115: "Just stay quiet and all safe."

Meanwhile, browsing through an online memorial for her son, Betsy Hill is struck by one photo in particular that appears to have been taken on the night of Spencer's death and that he wasn't alone.

The daughter of Marianne and Guy, Yasmin, is being bullied at school because her teacher (Joe Lewiston) commented on her facial hair in front of the class.

Yasmin shows her only friend Jill Baye (Mike and Tia's daughter) her father's (Guy) gun, which is already loaded and hidden in a drawer in their house.

Mike's professional partner Ilene Goldfarb confronts Susan to find the Lucas’s real father, as he could be a potential kidney donor.

The events start to come together by the end of the book as the connections of the murders; Adam's disappearance; Spencer's apparent suicide; and the need for a good donor for Susan's son are explained, and the origin of all of the mayhem is revealed.