"I was so young when it all began that the blame hardly feels like mine. ..." In the lull between the conservative '50s and the turbulent '60s, Kyle Ryan Quinn, an introspective, sentimental boy, leads a golden life. He's wealthy, beautiful and smart, and he vacations each year on the same island with the same circle of friends: entitled Adonis Trent; acerbic Claudia; practical Dana; and frivolous Carly. Haunted by the ghosts of a tragedy that took place in his youth, Kyle is more sensitive than his privileged friends. He understands loss, and secrets. When he meets Jack Averill, a quiet, bookish boy, his fateful 18th summer on the island, Kyle falls hopelessly, heedlessly in love. As he befriends and attempts to woo Jack - and tries to integrate him into his tight-knit yet troubled circle - he's pursued himself by another summer boy, Trey, who will stop at nothing to win Kyle's love, all while Trent toys with the affections of an island girl. Amid mounting familial, sexual and peer pressures, all four young men make heartbreaking decisions that will steal their innocence, destroy lives and consume them forever.