After a cult in Montana mysteriously burns to the ground, a girl named Minnow Bly emerges from the woods. A violent encounter results in her being sent to juvenile detention, where her only hope for release comes from a forensic psychologist who offers freedom in exchange for her secrets.
Minnow begins to tell her story to Dr. Wilson, about the formation of the cult, the power of the Prophet, their sudden disappearance into the woods twelve years ago, and truth about who cut off her hands.
Minnow starts taking classes and panics when she is tasked to try reading, uncovering a gruesome memory from her past surrounding the birth of her baby sister.
Trying to make sense of her new world, Minnow turns to her roommate Angel for answers. Dr. Wilson meanwhile delves into the Prophet's past and discovers the disturbing origin of the Kevinian god, "Charlie”.
With Angel as her guide, Minnow experiences Valentine's Day for the first time, revealing the story of her own forbidden love in the woods. But as her friendship with Angel continues to deepen she's given a violent reminder of how dangerous the world around her can be.
Minnow reveals how her love for Jude threw her beliefs into chaos and made her question everything she knew, including the Prophet himself. Meanwhile, Wilson investigates this boy Minnow fell for, wondering if he's complicit in The Prophet's death. And in the process, uncovers a horrifying secret.
Minnow searches for a new belief system that can answer the questions that burn inside her and finally reveals the heartbreaking truth of how she lost her hands.
Minnow must decide if she's still the same girl who fell in love with Jude in the woods while the police's investigation into The Prophet's death escalates, zeroing in on her as the main suspect.
As the murder investigation comes to a head, Minnow faces her parole hearing and learns her fate, telling Dr. Wilson the end of her story –– how the Prophet died and what really happened to her sister.
