Siri Hustvedt's second novel is about a beautiful young woman who, on the brink of adulthood, faces a new and erotic world--a world of fear and madness. Lily Dahl, a young aspiring actress and a waitress in a cafe, becomes involved with an artist who is separated from his wife. When a man is seen carrying the corpse of a woman around the town, Lily is sure that Martin, her childhood friend, is involved, and risks her life to discover the truth.