MARGAUX ANDREWS, an aspiring young writer living in Lower Manhattan, has penned a semi-autobiographical novel about her traumatic early childhood in Colorado, including the unresolved disappearance of a friend from the apartment complex where her family lives. After sending more than one hundred queries, she faces a trove of rejections, with agents criticizing the story's believability.

Just as hope dims, Margaux receives a surprising response from her one hundredth-and-thirty-something attempt-an offer of representation from the esteemed M. Des Jardins Literary Agency, known for its historic connections to members of the legendary Vicious Circle. With this letter, more than opportunity unfolds; it leads to a series of events and discoveries that will alter Margaux's understanding of her past and redefine her future.