The Chaperone

In New America, young women must follow strict rules: deflect attention, abstain from sin, navigate carefully, obey, embrace purity, and respect their chaperone. Girls are never permitted to be alone—they must have a chaperone with them at all times, preventing them from exploring the world or spending time with boys outside formal Visitations. Stella has been fortunate that her chaperone, Sister Helen, feels like a friend. When Sister Helen dies suddenly, Stella is assigned a new chaperone within days. Sister Laura is unlike anyone Stella has known. She holds radical ideas about what Stella should do, leaves her alone in public, and knows how to access forbidden "Hush Hush" parties where prohibited activities occur. As Stella spends time with Sister Laura, she begins to question everything she has been taught. She wonders whether the Constables' rules truly protect girls, or if they were designed for a different purpose. Once Stella experiences real freedom and learns the dark truths behind New America's system, she chooses to fight back against the world she knows, embarking on a dangerous journey across what used to be the United States.