Nestled in the foothills of the Smoky Mountains, Beulah has always seemed steady—rooted in tradition, shaped by generations, and slow to change. But in 1986, the ground has shifted, and no one feels it more than fifteen-year-old Barrett Childress Owens. Between her parents’ unraveling marriage and a school full of kids she can’t connect with, she feels invisible in her own hometown.

When Lacy Gunderson, the captivating new girl everyone is curious about, suddenly vanishes, the town’s calm surface fractures. Search parties comb the woods. A police investigation begins. Rumors multiply. Families close ranks. And Barrett begins to sense how much the adults around her choose not to say.

As Beulah clings to its rituals—including the annual Miss Kudzu pageant—Barrett is forced to navigate a community where loss lingers and secrets are carefully kept. Her journey reshapes her understanding of friendship, family, and the complex place she calls home.

A rich coming-of-age story with a pulse of mystery and a budding romance, Beulah explores the fault lines of a small town and the courage it takes to face the truths people would rather bury.