This beautifully written first novel tells the story of two best friends that have been brought through childhood living on a religious commune called Mount Blessing in Connecticut. Agnes, whose name means lamb, has hopes of becoming a saint as she follows Emmanuel, the leader of the commune, devoutly in all matters. Her best friend Honey is an orphan by virtue of the fact that her mother abandoned the commune right after Honey was born.

All the children on the commune are taken away from their parents when they are just a few months old and placed in the nursery to be raised communally. They return to their families when they turn seven. Because she has no parents because her father is unknown, Hope continues to live with everyone caring for her. It is this unique background that allows her to question the teachings of the commune leadership.

She lives with a special needs man who maintains a butterfly garden and has a secret, forbidden television, giving her access to the outside world. She also finds herself facing tough punishment in the Regulation Room because she is caught kissing a boy.

When Agnes' brother Ben is hurt when his hand is closed in a door, the two girls and Ben are whisked away from the commune by Agnes' grandmother Nana Pete, who is not a member of the community but was visiting. Emmanuel had attempted to perform a miracle by sewing Ben's fingers back on, but it was clear to the grandmother that something was amiss.

It is these actions that lead the two girls on a journey that will change not only their lives, but also affect the whole community's future. The two perspectives of Agnes and Honey challenge their friendship as they try to decide what they decisions the runaways should be making as a group. Not only are they dealing with living on the restricted, harsh commune, but they are also confronted with a secret past and being torn by their love of Agnes' parents in relation to the conditions in Mount Blessing.

Both of the girl's voices are honest, real, and gut-wrenching as the reader joins them on their journey, which is both literal and internal. Part of the realism is probably due to the fact that much of the story is based on real-life experiences of Galante, who was raised on a religious commune. The story is timely with the recent events taking place on a controlled religious commune in Texas, which has been making national headlines.