When Vola Whitt meets the new neighbor girl, she regrets trying to kindle a friendship. Lily Watson is dramatic and plain irritating. But once Vola's true nature is revealed, it doesn't take long for Lily to drop her pretenses. Lily finds herself looking at life in a new light, in the embrace of the earthy Whitts' family farm. But there is danger trapped beneath the verdant hay fields and lovely woods, and the girls, and everyone they love, will soon find themselves fighting for their lives—and for each other. Granny falls sick and the haints rise, taking advantage of weakening boundaries. When haint-infested Boyd Byrne takes Lily, Vola is torn between the overwhelming prospect of losing her beloved Granny, the wonder and enormity of learning what the Whitts really are, and the frightening task before her: to save her friend. Each Whitt must embrace their talent—their shine—to find the truth. Since the beginning of memory, Whitt warriors have killed the haint-infected to kill the haint, but there was always more to the story.