Josie Tyrell, art model, runaway, and denizen of LA's rock scene finds a chance at real love with Michael Faraday, a Harvard dropout and son of a renowned pianist. But when she receives a call from the coroner, asking her to identify her lover's body, her bright dreams all turn to black. Josie struggles to understand Michael's death and to hold onto the world they shared. Attracted to and repelled by his pianist mother, Meredith, Josie is drawn into a twisted relationship that reflects equal parts distrust and blind need. With the fever pitch intensity and lyrical prose that are her hallmarks, Janet Fitch weaves a spellbinding tale of love, betrayal, and the possibility of transcendence.