The summer of 1965 changes the lives of two children in such a way that they will never view life through the eyes of innocence again. Carol Lynn and her cousin Tom are spending the summer with their grandmother on her farm in rural Virginia. It's a quiet little place hiding the secrets, stories, and gossip the darker side of people entertain. It doesn't take the children long to become fascinated by the Horten family living near their grandmother. It's Carol Lynn's burning interest in the Horten family that leads them to trespass on their property. She wants to know the secret of the pond. It's on one of these forays that she meets Horten's stepdaughter, Clovie, a pitiful waif who longs to learn how to read. When Carol Lynn makes friends with the girl, it sets in motion events past and present that expose deception, incest, murder, suicide, and infanticide. When the truth is discovered, those involved are changed forever. The startling conclusion will take many by surprise.