The novel tells the story of Lily Bloom and her doomed romance with Ryle Kincaid and traces her past history growing up in an abusive home, her fall into an abusive relationship, and her escape from that relationship.
The novel opens with Lily—a young college graduate living in Boston—on a rooftop, clearing her thoughts after her father’s funeral. There, she encounters Ryle Kincaid, a resident surgeon. The couple has chemistry, but it becomes clear that both have different aims when it comes to relationships.
