In a quiet, conservative American town in the 1970s, Cecilia Lisbon, just 13, attempts suicide. She is one of five beautiful teenage sisters and this incident begins to unravel the lives of the entire family. The story is told from the point of view of the neighborhood boys who are obsessed with these enigmatic sisters and draws its dark humour from the fabric of teenage life. Little by little, the family begins to shut itself off from friends and neighbors and the girls are soon forbidden to go out. As the situation spirals downward, the boys plot to rescue the girls.