Marty seems to do no wrong. Trent can't seem to get things right. When they are thrown together by tragedy, they find their futures may be defined by more than just their good intentions.
Stonesmere is an English seaside suburb defined by poignant traditions passed from generation to generation. Marty is a golden girl here, albeit one who quietly chafes against the legacy of her father's accomplishments and the care of her saintly mother-an outsider who became a beloved teacher. Meanwhile, Trent's home life is in shambles: the only child of a mother forever on the lookout for the boyfriend who can remake their lives, Trent longs for Stonesmere's stability. But he and his mother only pass through. He leaves ostracized and stung, retreating into online communities instead.
When another young man commits an unthinkable act during Day One, Stonesmere's treasured annual assembly, Trent is transfixed by the news coverage, and by his memories of the town he idolized. As he dives deeper, he falls under the spell of a slick online media personality and the conspiracies he peddles. As Marty fumbles to play the part of the grieving good girl, she becomes the focus of these conspiracies, and Trent's attention.
Narrated by a chorus of voices who reveal the secrets and tangled histories of this seemingly simple place, Marty's and Trent's fates become intertwined. With “Day One”, Abigail Dean once again peels back the facade of suburban life to show how repressed trauma, miscommunications, and unrequited feelings trap us, but only if we let them.
