Madeline sprains her ankle at a red light on school orientation day and meets the young single mother Jane Chapman.

Amabella accuses Ziggy of hurting her at kindergarten orientation, fracturing the school community into opposing factions.

Perry becomes violent with Celeste after failing to fix the family computer, revealing his abusive nature for the first time.

A petition circulates among school parents calling for Ziggy's suspension, intensifying Jane's isolation in the community.

Abigail tells Madeline she wants to move in permanently with her father Nathan and his wife Bonnie.

Jane confides in Madeline that she was sexually assaulted by a man who gave his name as Saxon Banks.

Celeste visits a domestic violence counselor named Susi for the first time and begins making plans to leave Perry.

Madeline secretly searches for Saxon Banks online despite Jane having asked her not to.

Celeste secretly signs a six-month lease on an apartment in McMahons Point, preparing to leave Perry.

Jane takes Ziggy to a child psychologist, who concludes that Ziggy is not a bully.

Nathan tells Madeline that Abigail has built a website offering to sell her virginity to raise money for charity.

Jane convinces Ziggy to write down the bully's name instead of saying it aloud, and he writes Max.

Jane confronts Perry on the trivia night balcony, recognizing him as the man who assaulted her.

After Perry hits Celeste on the balcony, Bonnie shoves him away and Perry falls to his death.

Bonnie confesses the truth to police, is convicted of involuntary manslaughter, and avoids serving jail time.

The story opens with Madeline meeting Jane on orientation day, launching a friendship that pulls both women into a bitter school dispute when Amabella accuses Jane's son Ziggy of bullying. Behind the community drama, Perry's domestic violence against Celeste simmers beneath the surface while Celeste secretly plans her escape. Jane's revelation to Madeline about her assault connects the personal and the criminal when Madeline traces the attacker's name toward Perry's family. On the night of the school trivia, Jane confronts Perry directly, exposing him as her abuser and igniting the chaos that ends in his death. In the aftermath, Bonnie chooses honesty over the group's cover story, faces justice, and avoids prison while the surviving characters begin to rebuild their lives.

The central events driving the mystery from school drama to fatal confrontation.

Jane and Madeline join Celeste for champagne mimosas at Blue Blues café on orientation morning.

Abigail tells Madeline she wants to go vegan, deepening Madeline's worry about Bonnie's growing influence over her daughter.

Ziggy is visibly excluded when Amabella distributes birthday party invitations to every other child on the first day of school.

Madeline acquires Disney On Ice tickets for the same date as Amabella's birthday party to spare Ziggy the slight.

Perry returns from a business trip and grabs Celeste's arm hard, leaving a bruise, during an argument.

Jane accidentally leaves the class mascot Harry the Hippo at the Disney On Ice show, damaging her reputation with other parents.

Celeste donates twenty thousand dollars to charity online and then searches for domestic violence support resources.

Jane nearly snaps at Ziggy over a late-night family tree assignment before Madeline arrives unexpectedly with supplies.

Jane reveals the details of her assault by Saxon Banks to Celeste during one of their regular morning walks.

Miss Barnes calls Jane to warn her about the parent petition and assure her Ziggy has shown no meanness in class.

Madeline and Celeste discover at book club that Perry has a cousin whose name is Saxon Banks.

Perry slams Celeste's head against a wall at home the day before the trivia night.

Celeste and Perry argue in the car outside the trivia venue, and Celeste tells him their marriage is over.

Everyone on the trivia night balcony collectively agrees to lie about how Perry died in order to protect Bonnie.

Celeste moves into the McMahons Point apartment with the boys and returns to part-time work at a law firm.

The three women's friendship deepens through small but meaningful moments at Blue Blues café, school events, and shared walks that slowly draw each into the others' orbits. The bullying subplot escalates through a series of public embarrassments and quiet investigations, from Ziggy's exclusion from a birthday party to Jane's ongoing struggle to protect her son's reputation. Celeste's private torment is revealed through domestic abuse escalating over several months, from a grabbed arm to a head slammed against a wall the night before the trivia. Key discoveries accelerate toward the climax as Jane confides in Celeste, Madeline and Celeste uncover Perry's connection to Saxon Banks, and Perry confronts Celeste about her secret apartment. The trivia night itself ends in cover-up and confession, and the final chapter closes with Celeste stepping into a life finally free from Perry's control.

The supporting moments and relationships that shaped the story's outcome.

Ziggy sadly tells Jane he does not want to come to school anymore after Amabella's accusation.

Jane wakes from a disturbing Christmas nightmare in which Ziggy presses his foot against her throat.

Madeline hands the first-place race ribbon to Bonnie after the mothers' carnival race, and both women understand the gesture means more than sport.

Madeline helps Abigail pack her belongings to move to Nathan's house, fighting to suppress her emotions.

Jane reads a sex scene in the book club novel and feels genuine romantic desire for the first time in years.

Jane approaches two gossiping mothers at school and directly tells them her son has never hurt anyone.

Amabella begins to tell Jane the bully's name during reading time but breaks down crying before she can finish.

Celeste's babysitter Gwen notices a bruise on Celeste's arm and quietly indicates she does not believe it was Celeste's fault.

Josh tells Celeste just before the trivia night that Max has been hurting girls at school, including Skye.

Perry tells Celeste he knows about her secret apartment just before the couple leaves for the trivia night.

Celeste and Jane share what they know about Max on the trivia night balcony, and Renata apologizes to Jane.

Abigail asks to move back in with Madeline, and Nathan reveals that Bonnie grew up in an abusive household.

Bonnie visits Celeste after Perry's death and tells her she intends to confess the full truth to police.

Tom spontaneously kisses Jane on the beach near Pirriwee, and Jane feels genuinely happy for the first time.

Celeste delivers a speech at a domestic violence conference, closing with the words 'This can happen to anyone.'

Beneath the school drama and community gossip, each main character experiences private turning points that slowly alter the course of events. Ziggy's quiet despair after the accusation, Jane's disturbing nightmare, and small moments of courage like Jane confronting gossiping mothers reveal how the characters grow under pressure. Celeste's path toward leaving Perry is marked by subtle revelations: a babysitter's knowing look, Amabella's unfinished sentence, and Josh's confession about Max's bullying. The trivia night brings a cascade of truths including Max's identity as the bully, Celeste's declaration that the marriage is over, and Jane's confrontation of her attacker, all leading to Perry's death. In the aftermath, acts of honesty and forgiveness — from Bonnie's confession to Tom's kiss to Celeste's conference speech — confirm that the truth, however painful, is the only path to healing.

The pivotal decisions, discoveries, and emotional shifts that changed everything.