Set in the American Midwest and Southwest, the novel opens in 1976, when the young teenage protagonist, Erica, is in a psychiatric hospital following a suicide attempt. In the present day, Erica, now in her 50s, takes a phone call at work telling her that her mother has died. From this point the story moves backwards in time, with each chapter shedding light - and dramatic irony - on those it follows.

This mother-daughter relationship seesaws between cooperation and opposition; they are best friends and worst enemies; their conversations have an unflinching intensity and an emotional punch.