Genevieve Vandermere Anderson lives in an elite world carefully crafted by her stepfather. While other girls her age are ecstatic to revel in the freedom of their first summer break from college, Genevieve has no choice but to return to her childhood home on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina and play sidekick to her vindictive stepfather. Forbidden from social media and isolated from her peers, she returns home from college, disheartened and oppressed by the actions of her past; the secret that her stepfather uses to control her.
Though she is fearful of the repercussions, Genevieve decides it is time to start making her own choices. She sneaks out of her fortified house to attend the annual beach bonfire. She meets a handsome stranger and follows him to an abandoned boathouse hidden in the low country marshes. Little does she know that this small act of rebellion will be the catalyst for unraveling the truth about her regretful past, and the layers of deception her stepfather has masterminded.
One thing is for certain, everything leads back to the boathouse....