The narrative opens on the morning before Alfie’s disappearance. Florence wakes up thinking about a song she recorded a decade ago with her girl group, Girl’s Night. Dylan is eager to get to school, because they have a school field trip to the Wetland Centre to do bird watching. Dylan is an animal lover who is deeply concerned about environmental issues. He begs his mother to wear something “normal” to school drop-off, but Florence decides to wear a “sparkly orange crop top” (4) instead.

It is a chilly November morning. As Dylan and Florence leave the house, they run into the elderly neighbor, Mr. Foster, an environmental zealot with whom Dylan is friendly. He wants to talk to Florence, but Florence rushes off without finding out what he wants.

Florence would have sent her son to a normal primary school, but her ex-husband, Will, insisted on sending Dylan to St. Angeles because that is where he attended school. Florence does not like the moms of the other sons, who are much wealthier and more conventional than herself. Florence is from Orlando, Florida, and her mother was a waitress at Denny’s. Florence attempts to avoid Hope, the PTA president, who is chatting with Farzanah, a dermatologist, and Cleo, the mother of Alfie. However, before she can leave, Hope tells Florence that Ms. Dobbins, a school counselor, is looking for her. Florence attempts to leave without being spotted by Ms. Dobbins when she’s intercepted by Jenny Choi, an American lawyer who has just enrolled her twin boys in the school and is hoping to make friends. As they exchange numbers, Ms. Dobbins interrupts.

Florence reluctantly talks with Ms. Dobbins, who’s concerned about Dylan’s behavior. The week before, Dylan dumped out the contents of his desk onto Teddy, Hope’s son. Last semester, Dylan attacked Alfie with a cricket bat because Alfie was tormenting a box turtle in the school yard—Florence and Dylan later adopted the turtle and named it Greta. Ms. Dobbins suggests that she have Dylan evaluated. Florence defends her son, insisting that the other boys bully him.

As she leaves the school, Florence admits to herself that Dylan is a strange child with a bit of a temper.

Florence gets her nails done. Her manicurist, Linh, tells her that the “Shepherd’s Bush Strangler” (18) has attacked another woman and that the police do not know who it is. Florence tells Linh that three days before, a record label executive named Elliot called to tell her he had an “opportunity” for Florence. Florence and Elliot have arranged to meet that evening for dinner. Florence wants to look perfect for the meeting; she hopes that Elliot will give her the chance to record a solo album that will restart her music career like the album The Emancipation of Mimi resurrected Mariah Carey’s career in the early 2000s.

Florence knocks on her neighbor Adam’s door. Adam is a 36-year-old police officer who has a crush on Florence. He lives on the upper floor of their duplex. She asks him to drive her to drop off some balloons for her custom balloon arch business. Her type-A younger sister, Brooke, encourages her to work so Florence can earn some money. Adam drives Florence to a woman’s house to install a balloon arch for a birthday party. One of the guests recognizes Florence. It is Lacey, another former member of Girl’s Night. Lacey’s married to a player for the Arsenal soccer club and has two children. Florence is embarrassed to be seen installing balloon arches while Lacey is a wealthy guest.

Florence goes into a pub for a drink. She meets a “Hot Construction Worker” (34) and has sex with him in the pub bathroom.

Florence rushes to meet her sister for lunch, and Brooke is irritated at her lateness. Brooke and Florence moved from Florida to England with their mother when they were 14 and 17, respectively. Brooke is marrying Julian, her “stealth-posh” fiancé, in a week. Brooke reminds Florence that they have a dress fitting on Monday. Florence asks Brooke if she can watch Dylan that evening. Brooke agrees, but they argue about the last-minute favor. Brooke accuses Florence of acting immature.

Florence goes to Selfridges, a department store, and shoplifts an expensive black bodysuit to wear to her dinner with Elliot. While there, she receives dozens of texts from the “St. Angeles mums’ group chat” (45). There is an emergency at the school, and the police have been called. Florence rushes to the school, worried something has happened to Dylan.

Florence arrives at St. Angeles, which the police have cordoned off and placed on lockdown. The school principal, Nicola Ivy, and her deputy, Helen Schulz, are facing down the crowd of panicked mothers. Ms. Ivy tells them that a student in Dylan’s grade has gone missing. Florence forces her way into the school and finds Dylan, who tells her Alfie is missing. She wonders if Dylan was involved in Alfie’s disappearance and sneaks him out of the school’s back entrance.

Dylan asks if he can go to Mr. Foster’s house, because Mr. Foster has crickets for Greta, the turtle, to eat before Greta goes into hibernation. Florence asks what happened on the field trip. In response, Dylan breaks a water glass and storms off. Will, Florence’s ex-husband, texts that he will pick Dylan up at 6:00 pm.

Florence goes to Dylan’s room and asks again what happened. Dylan tells her that he had been paired with Alfie to do bird watching at the Wetland Centre. He claims he went to throw away some litter, and when he returned, Alfie was gone. When the chaperone did roll call on the bus at the end of the field trip, Dylan said “here” when Alfie’s name was called. No one noticed Alfie was missing until the bus returned to the school. Dylan tells Florence he forgot his backpack at the Wetland Centre. Florence is confused because she remembers having carried a backpack home from school.

Jenny calls Florence to ask if what happened to Alfie is related to the “groping incident a few years ago” (61). They get an email from Ms. Ivy announcing a parents’ meeting the next day. Hope calls Florence, wanting to know if Dylan was involved in what happened with Alfie. She tells Florence that Alfie’s parents are in the middle of an acrimonious divorce. Hope asks Florence for £100 for flowers for the Risbys, and Florence hangs up.

Two years ago, Florence had performed at a school gala. While smoking a cigarette afterward, Rollo Risby, Alfie’s father, had bummed a cigarette from her and then offered her cocaine. After they did cocaine together in the bathroom, Rollo aggressively kissed Florence. She tried to push him away, eventually punching him in the nose to get him off her. Cleo and Rollo had quickly left afterward. Florence had confided to Hope that Rollo “threw himself” at her, but Hope was skeptical. After the incident, Florence was ostracized by the other school moms.