An unnamed young girl attends summer camp with her older brother. She enjoys the first few weeks. One night, however, an adult camp counselor named Mr. Lolland takes her to his private cabin, telling her, “Tonight is our little secret” (118).

Tracy Carr, the journalist who first broke the story of the Quinlan murders, has seen her career blossom in 10 years since then. In addition to a career writing for the Times, she maintains a true crime hobby in which she continues to investigate cases like the Quinlan murders. Tracy uploads a video for her many followers in that casts doubt on the verdict of Alex Quinlan’s innocence and asks her followers to help her find Alex.

Alex Quinlan, now living as Alex Armstrong, has a job as an investigator for Garrett’s firm. She works closely with Buck Jordan, one of Garrett’s partners at the firm. Together, they’re gathering information about a new client, Byron Zell.