Relating the events that led to those in the horror series that began with "Flowers in the Attic," this novel introduces the young, dashing Malcolm Foxworth and his new wife, Olivia, and reveals why they became evil. Olivia dreamed of a sun-filled love, a happy life. Then she entered Foxworth Hall ... V.C. Andrews' thrilling new novel spins a tale of dreadful secrets and dark, forbidden passions-- of the time before "Flowers in the Attic" began....

Like everyone else in Palm Springs, Gish idolizes her smart, beautiful, kind older sister. Even their parents compare Gish unfavorably to Gloria--threatening to send her to boarding school once the more perfect sister leaves for college. But Gloria has an unwavering love for Gish, even if that connection belies a weariness with her own accomplishments. Wanting a better life for her overlooked sibling, Gloria teaches Gish how to talk to boys, embrace...

The lives of two sisters, sensible and reliable Olivia and flighty and beautiful Belinda, are changed forever by "the tragic night that their father would forbid them to speak of ever again."--Jacket.

Living again in a humble shack, Ruby is determined to make a secure and happy home for her precious infant daughter, Pearl. Paul Tate -- her first love, whom she was forced to abandon -- is at her side once more, now a man of dazzling wealth. When he whisks her into his grand house, it seems their future is assured. As mistress of Cypress Woods, Ruby can forget even the shocking reason she and Paul must wed in a secret ceremony and remain husband...

Laura's idyllic days on Cape Cod are slowly poisoned by the whispered rumors about her family, until Robert Royce arrives to drive the shadows away.

Finally married to Jimmy and reunited with her daughter, Dawn is convinced she has everything she needs, but her brother's strange behavior, her mother's selfishness, and an unspeakable tragedy threaten her happiness.

With nowhere to go, no one to help her, Leigh fled into the arms of Luke Casteel! Leigh Van Voreen had to escape from Boston's Farthinggale Manor. The foul secret she harbored within her seemed to darken her life forever. Jillian, her mother, would not believe her ... and Tony Tatterton, her stepfather, had betrayed her most cruelly. But the pure devotion of Luke Casteel promised her hope and respect. Only Luke knew her deepest of secrets ... only...

Despite attempts to fit into her newfound family and befriend her twin sister, Ruby continually encounters only evil, bitterness, backstabbing and tragedy.