How can you find yourself when all you know is home? Maebe Amos is desperate for a change. Born into the close-knit East Branch community, she longs to experience life beyond the fence demarcating the edge of the compound. But
no one ever leaves East Branch-well, no one but her cousin Connor's parents, who moved to the nearby town and raised him among the outsiders there. Maebe doesn't know much about the outside world, but the little she's picked up from her radio suggests veritable wonders, and she's desperate to learn.
But for Maebe, gifted with "the touch" and cursed with a curious birth defect, the protection of isolated East Branch means safety. Lucky for her, the first outsider she meets is Connor's girlfriend, Jane-and Jane is possessed of a powerful touch the like of which Maebe has never seen. Magic, Jane calls it, and offers to help her.
Can Maebe trust the people she's been taught to fear? And as she tries to learn about herself and her talents, how can she protect East Branch when its long-forgotten secrets begin to surface?
