Born in a bathtub in 1954 to a Cherokee father and white mother, Betty is the sixth of eight siblings. Their world is poverty and violence - both from outside the family and devastatingly from within. When her family's darkest secrets are brought to light, Betty has no choice but to reckon with the brutal history hiding in the hills and the heart-wrenching cruelties and incredible characters she encounters in her rural town of Breathed, Ohio.

Despite the hardship she faces, Betty is resilient. Her curiosity about the natural world, her fierce love for her sisters and her father's brilliant stories are kindling the fire of her imagination, and in the face of all she bears witness to, Betty discovers an escape: she begins to write.

A heartbreaking yet magical story, Betty is a punch-in-the-gut of a novel - full of the crushing cruelty of human nature and the redemptive power of words.