Deenie Nash is a diligent student with a close-knit family: her brother, Eli, is a hockey star and her father is a popular teacher.

But when Deenie's best friend is struck by a terrifying, unexplained seizure in the middle of class, the Nash family's seeming stability dissolves into chaos.

As hysteria and contagion swell, a series of tightly held secrets emerges, threatening to unravel friendships, families, and the town's fragile idea of security.

The author Megan Abbott was inspired by the news reporting on the 2012 mass hysteria case in Le Roy, New York.

"[15] Publishers Weekly wrote, "Abbott’s adolescents are close to pitch-perfect with their sudden switches between childlike vulnerability and calculating maturity," though mentioned "the narrative lacks in depth.