Eighteen-year-old Black girl Summer Lin is shipped off by her work-obsessed mother to an elite private high school in California. Her mother is a newly minted Silicon Valley tycoon, and the only way she knows how to show love is by sending endless sums of money. Upon arriving on campus, Summer uncovers a secret unspoken social code among the student body: the wealthy teens don’t compete over who has more money—they compete over who has the saddest backstory. Desperate to fit in with the school’s inner circle, she fabricates a tragic past for herself: orphaned at a young age, surviving solely on academic scholarships. With fluent English and a carefully crafted facade, she rises to become the school’s beloved inspirational sweetheart. But as her lies snowball out of control, as she falls hard for the football team captain who detests all pretence, and as she realizes everyone around her hides behind masks—how will this charade ever end?
