Nantucket writer Madeline King has a new novel coming out, The Rumor, which has bestseller potential. But Madeline is terrified, because in her desperation to revive her career, she's done the unthinkable: The Rumor reveals the truth behind an actual affair involving her best friend, Grace. And that's not the only strain on Madeline and Grace's friendship; one fateful night, the two women argue, voicing jealousies and resentments that have built for twenty years. Bereft of each other, they get caught in the snares of a mysterious and destructive stranger. Their fate hinges on The Rumor--and the secret it reveals.