The Prologue is a flashback to the past, told from the point of view of Dr. Adrienne Hale, the renowned psychiatrist whose mysterious disappearance incites the events on which the book will center. Adrienne begins the novel by stating, “Everybody lies” (5), but concludes in the Prologue: “I will know the truth. I always know. Never lie to me” (6).

The narrative shifts to the present day and opens on Tricia, who is driving with her husband, Ethan, to visit a remote house in upstate New York that they are considering buying. A snowstorm has started, and they are lost. Ethan and Tricia are newlyweds and have been married for only six months. Tricia admits, “I’m still learning about Ethan. All my girlfriends scolded me for marrying him too quickly” (9-10). The two met in a coffee shop one day; Tricia tripped and spilled her coffee in front of him. Ethan and Tricia arrive at the property, expecting their realtor, Judy, to be there; there is a light on on the first floor, so they assume that could be her. Tricia has a sense of foreboding about