At the elite boarding school of Chandler, five teens from very different backgrounds come together in the Circle, a writing group known for creating life-changing friendships and revealing secrets better left secret--Beth the "townie," who is coming back after a tense year with her roommate, Sarah; Amanda Priya "Spence" Spencer, who knows her family name is privileged in NYC; Ramin Golafshar, the gay student from Iran, who gets hazed for "tradition" in the boys' dorms; and Freddy Bello, the senior boy who knows he may have to sacrifice his friends and future to stand up to his friends for what they did to Ramin.