The high school cheerleading squad has a new coach: Colette French, perfect in every way, a cool and commanding presence who instantly wins the girls' approval and allegiance. The girls find themselves drawn into Coach's life, opening up to her and eagerly vying for her attention.

But when a suspicious suicide hits close to home, and the police investigation involves Coach and her squad, the girls are left wondering where their loyalties truly lie - and how far is too far to go for those in power.

When it's all over, someone will emerge on top, and the others will have fallen. Megan Abbott brings all of the raw passions of girlhood to life in this taut, unflinching exploration of what it means to be a leader, and what it means to truly fly.