In the stone cold heart of a 1932 New England winter, Madeline visits her oldest and closest friend who resides directly across the lake, just over the New Hampshire border from Vermont. Celia is seriously ill and seems walled away from reality by several people who have seemingly won her confidence: Matthias, a lawyer; David, a writer; and the very attractive Mira, playing the unlikely role of nurse. Celia's one protector appears to be the loyal...

"Everything can be fixed by writing a check." Words to live by for Robin Fortune's wealthy father, until he can't buy her way back into college after she's expelled for dealing pot. Now her life never takes a straight path in this intensely satisfying coming-of-age novel.