When Topher, Michael, and Kenneth find a mangled body on the Rugby Field of their new "school," Raleigh's Prep., they decide to investigate-- something they later understand to be an unfortunate decision.
Raleigh's Prep. is more of a juvenile detention center for the delinquent children of the fabulously wealthy, and most of the "students" there are guilty of one crime or another. The former headmaster, the aptly named Mistress Chainwrought, used this to her advantage, performing ungodly experiments upon her poor wards, knowing that the rest of the world, including their parents, had forsaken them. The trio's curiosity leads them deeper and deeper into the darkest recesses of the school, discovering the horrid results of Mistress Chainwrought's work.
As the school year proceeds, more students are murdered, and the boys make enemies, both among the dangerous student population and the things lurking out in the woods. After a bleak winter, they realize that investigation is futile. If they want to live, they'll have to escape. Then, in the middle of a deadly blizzard, Kenneth is kidnapped . . .
