Schoolteacher Barbara Covett has known none but the most solitary of lifestyles until new teacher Sheba Hart joins St. George’s. Starting by sharing lunches, then family events, the new art teacher draws Barbara into a touching confidence. Unbeknownst to their colleagues, however, another relationship blossoms meanwhile: Sheba has begun a passionate affair with an underage male student. When the details come to light and Sheba falls prey to the inevitable media circus, Barbara decides to write an account in her friend’s defense, revealing not only Sheba’s secrets but her own.

Zoë Heller is a feature writer, critic, and columnist. She currently writes a weekly column for the London Telegraph, for which she won the 2002 British Press Award for Columnist of the Year. Born in London, she now lives in New York City.