The plot follows an investigation carried out by seventeen-year old true crime enthusiast Pippa Fitz-Amobi, a student in the fictional town of Little Kilton, Buckinghamshire. In the novel, she investigates the murder of popular student Andrea "Andie" Bell and the suicide of the supposed perpetrator Salil Singh under the guise of a school project. Her objectives are to exonerate Sal, who she is convinced was falsely accused, and to uncover the true perpetrator, who Pip believe is still at large.