Alice Harvey has a lot of friends, and Reagan Foster isn't one of them. The two girls have never spoke, but Reagan's ultimate hatred for her sprouts from Alice's popular friends, who made fun of her in middle school. But despite Alice's large quantity of friends, admirers, and potential boyfriends, she feels isolated and alone, with a secret that she can't seem to cope with. When Reagan figures it out accidentally, the girls band together to assist each other with what their struggling with and find friendship on the way.

Rose Fischer has lived in a little town called Cold Water Creek her entire life. Everyone there has. Everyone knows each other, cares for each other, and watches out for each other. When Carter Griffin and his family move in, they are welcomed by smiles and kind words everywhere they go. For the first day, at least. Then Holly Moore is found dead in the creek the town is named for. The entire town suddenly goes quiet. No one trusts each other and no one knows who did it. With the town being in the middle of nowhere with little to no visitors, it had to be a local... or the Griffin family. The town becomes more and more weary of the Griffin family due to their recent appearance in Cold Water Creek. Carter has to fight to prove his innocence with a little help from Rose, which may lead to something more.