The Darlings have one sacred rule. Thou shalt not keep secrets from your fellow Darlings. But when these three best friends start their freshman year at three different high schools, the code of the Darlings proves tricky to uphold...

At her affluent Catholic school, scholarly Elena feels lost in a sea of New York society girls, whose uniforms do nothing to mask their wealth. Thank goodness she has the Darlings to put things back into perspective--but can she tell them about everything? Like her bizarre chemistry with the campus film starlet's geeky brother?

Meanwhile, Victoria wishes she could blend into the walls of Bolton, the prep school her ambitious older sister dominated before heading off to NYU. With her dad's campaign for mayor heating up, Victoria's life is starting to feel like a long series of photo-ops. What would she do without the Darlings to rescue her after a grueling "candid" shoot of her family being perfect? Would they be as supportive if they knew she was secretly compromising her dad's campaign?

Jane thought she'd be okay on her own at Arts Academy, where she's been dreaming of starring in a theater production since she can remember. But by the end of her first day, she's not so sure. Getting noticed isn't so easy in a school full of kids who all crave the spotlight. Though she misses her friends like crazy, more and more things are happening that they wouldn't understand. Like the crippling stress of a make-or-break audition. And the fact that she's falling in love with her theater teacher...

It's going to be a life-changing year for all three Darlings. But one thing's for certain: when you keep secrets from the people who know you best, it's a slippery slope from change to all-out chaos.