At the Haldwell School, the student body is run by five factions, which provide everything Haldwell students need to deal with the challenges of adolescence during their time at the boarding school. The most powerful faction is The Spades, and Selah keeps her faction, along with the others, in order by doing whatever it takes to maintain power. Selah is about to graduate, and identifies Paloma, a sophomore trying to discover her own voice, as a potential successor to maintain control. As the system is disrupted, and as Paloma journeys deeper in to The Spades, the student begins to outshine the master, and Selah becomes determined to reassert her power, no matter the cost.