The Music and the Strife

In August 1976, Sophia "Phee" McKean is 15 years old-an only child, smart, bookish, mature for her age. After a terrible family tragedy, she's trying to find her way in the unfamiliar town her mother has chosen for their new home, and in a school where she knows no one.

Phee longs to fit in, and feels as if her wish has been granted when beautiful, talented Holly Miller befriends her. Holly is a gifted violinist, and her family has deep roots in the small-town community. She and her parents welcome Phee with open arms.

At first Phee brushes off the oddities that seem to surround the Millers: their meandering, confusing house and its strange noises; the disorienting visions and missing time she sometimes experiences in their company. But Holly has a troubled older brother who seems bent on tormenting Phee. As he grows bolder-confronting her, frightening her-Phee begins to glimpse the mysterious darkness he inhabits, and realizes the Millers are keeping fantastical secrets.