Society of Lies: A Novel

DuPont gets Maya a job with the Fuller family. Maya believes she’ll tutor Calum Fuller, their wayward teenage son, but she realizes she’s been hired to take the SAT for him and write his Princeton application essay. Maya hears his mother on the phone, wondering if Maya is the best person for the task. Calum’s mother asks why they can’t label Calum a “golf recruit.” Wanting to prove herself to Calum’s mother, Maya takes the SAT and writes an essay about how Calum’s mother supposedly survived a brain tumor. In exchange for her work, Maya gets $10,000 and an internship at Goldman Sachs.

Worried about Naomi, Aunt Ella calls Maya, and Maya speaks to Naomi. Naomi stopped going to school after a neighbor knocked on the door and realized Naomi and Aunt Ella’s sons were there without an adult. Naomi claims she’s fine now, but Maya doesn’t want child protective services to take Naomi.

In Sterling’s library, Marta shows Maya an earring she found while cleaning DuPont’s office. Maya thinks the earring is Lila’s. Marta has witnessed numerous affairs between DuPont and students, but the one with Lila is the “worst.” She hints that she left DuPont’s office unlocked, so Maya goes in. She sees a note about meeting Marsden and another note about Senator Bain’s (Alex Bain’s father) $5 million investment fund. She discovers DuPont has files on her and her friends, and has pictures of her and Daisy from the lingerie party, and a picture of Daisy, Cecily, and Kai doing cocaine with Alex Bain.

Maya speaks to Daisy about what she discovered, and Daisy says they took the photo and gave it to DuPont so Alex would get kicked out of Sterling. She claims Alex’s father is using the fund to keep Alex in Sterling. Days later, Maya follows DuPont, who meets with Thomas Marden. He’s the Dean of Admissions, and he has a Greystone ring.

Naomi dances for the BAC show. Ben and his friends cheer her on from the front row. Margaret is there, and so is Liam, but Maya is absent. Liam brings Naomi flowers, and they ride his motorcycle to New York City where there’s a birthday party for a Sterling alumnus. Naomi meets Calum Fuller of Omnis Media. Calum realizes Naomi’s sister “tutored” him and that his father and Liam’s father were roommates at Princeton.

Amy texts Naomi that the police are reopening Lila’s case, and Naomi spots DuPont at the party with his fiancée, Sara. Naomi asks Liam about the Greystone ski cabins and Lila. Liam’s father told him that people are contacting him and his associates, and Liam warns Naomi to stay out of it. He shows her a picture from the weekend Lila died. The photo is of Cecily, Daisy, Kai, Maya, and Lila, showing Maya was “involved.”

After telling Naomi that she’s saving money so that Naomi can live near her, Maya speaks to Cecily, who claims Lila is trying to destroy Greystone and the Legacy Foundation, Greystone’s outwardly philanthropic arm. Maya follows Lila and hears her conversation with Austin. In addition to being a drummer, Austin is The Daily Princetonian’s editor-in-chief. Lila has spreadsheets showing money traveling from Greystone to Marsden. Lila describes the transactions as “money laundering” for “spots at Princeton” (407). Lila also believes Bain’s $5 million investment fund amounts to insider trading and market manipulation.

Naomi is still in New York City at the birthday party. Zee, upset over a boy, drank too much, and Naomi is trying to get her home, but the Uber driver doesn’t want her in his car. DuPont and Sara appear. Zee grabs onto Sara’s arm to balance herself, but DuPont pushes Zee away.

The police arrive, and Naomi thinks they’re targeting her and Zee because they’re not white. After the police leave, Naomi reprimands Liam for not being a better ally. Back at Princeton, Naomi finds a note from DuPont: He’s sorry about his behavior at the party.

Maya’s daughter Dani isn’t allowed to eat sugar before dinner, but someone at her expensive summer school gave her gummy bears. Before Maya can ask her daughter about the person, she gets a call from Margaret, who pressured the authorities to reopen Naomi’s case. While watching the evening news, Maya learns Naomi’s death is now a murder investigation.

During Sterling’s “rave night,” Cecily dances with Theodore Hunt. Cecily jokes that if she married Hunt, the Federal Trade Commission would have to review their marriage because their union could qualify as a monopoly. Daisy worries about Lila, and Daisy and Maya find her on the roof with DuPont. He grabs her wrist and waves her phone. She runs and DuPont chases her. Daisy and Maya find Lila with a bloody gash on her head. Cecily arrives, and Maya and Daisy drive Lila to the hospital while Cecily argues with DuPont.

Maya invites Naomi to have lunch at her apartment in Brooklyn. Maya apologizes for not attending Naomi’s BAC show, but Maya couldn’t secure a babysitter. Naomi wants to talk to Maya about Lila, and the sisters tell each other that they can speak to one another if something’s going on, but neither sister opens up. Instead, Maya notes that Naomi rejected a job offer from Hunt. Naomi says DuPont could get her a job at Omnis. Maya tells Naomi that she shouldn’t accept “favors” from DuPont.

In the library, Maya reads Edgar Allan Poe’s poem “Annabel Lee” (1849). She sees Lila holding hands with Austin, and Lila is smiling. Since Lila went to the hospital three weeks ago, she’s dropped out of Greystone. Maya thinks Lila is “brave.”

Maya and her friends discuss Lila. According to Cecily, DuPont is offering Lila a settlement, but Lilia isn’t sure she should accept it. Maya says they could be witnesses in a court trial, but Kai reminds Maya that DuPont has photos of them that could get them expelled.

The next night, Lila is in Cecily’s room. She accepts the settlement, but Kai and Cecily have a plan. Using a hidden camera, they’ll record DuPont confessing to assaulting Lila, and they’ll get him to admit his crime by putting GHB in his drink. They believe the “roofies” should make him less inhibited.

Amy leaves her laptop open. Zee looks through it, reading what Amy and Naomi are working on. Amy shows Naomi emails between Marta and DuPont. Trevor Jones was trying to contact Marta, and Marta emailed DuPont for guidance. Amy also shows Naomi a higher-resolution photo of the picture Liam showed Naomi at the birthday party in New York City. In the picture, Naomi notices Marta reflected in a mirror. Zee believes DuPont killed Lila. Amy and Naomi think they should speak to Marta.

Maya shows Simmons Naomi’s notebook, and Simmons reveals the autopsy results. Someone drugged Naomi by injecting ketamine into her neck. Maya advises Simmons to look into DuPont again.

Through a snowstorm, Maya and her friends drive to Bretton Woods, New Hampshire, for the annual Greystone ski trip. DuPont hosts alumni in a cluster of properties worth a total of $100 million. Maya and her friends stay in an isolated cabin. It’s the smallest property Greystone owns, but it’s still opulent and large enough to be a ski lodge.

Marta is there, and Lila will arrive tomorrow. Lila wants people to think she has put the assault behind her and hopes to rejoin Greystone. Kai hides the camera behind flowers, and Maya looks out the window and thinks she sees yellow eyes.

Daisy and Naomi have lunch in New York City, and Daisy reveals how they wanted to get DuPont to confess. Naomi presses for details, and Daisy agrees to tell Naomi, but Naomi can’t tell anyone else, not even Maya.

Maya and Daisy go skiing, but Maya loses sight of Daisy and gets lost. She feels like someone is watching her, and she spots two deer. She hears a branch break and screams. Daisy, Cecily, and Kai laugh at her, and Cecily says whoever comes down the mountain last has to put the GHB in DuPont’s drink. Maya is the last person down.

That night, Marta tells Maya that Lila shouldn’t be here, that it’s a “bad idea.” Maya promises to protect Lila. She looks at the hidden camera and notices the red light isn’t on. Marta looks in the direction of the camera too. Maya distracts Marta and puts the GHB in a shot glass.

Leaving the shot glasses on the counter, Maya goes to turn the camera back on. When she returns, the shots are gone. One of DuPont’s friends has taken them. Maya tells Cecily, but Cecily is nonchalant. In the hot tub, Cecily toasts DuPont and gives him a “flirty smile.” Maya senses DuPont watching her. Maya has several shots and passes out.

Maya wakes up with a terrible headache. Lila is gone. She has left her jacket and phone, and Maya’s friends haven’t seen her for hours. They call the police, who summon a K9 unit and emergency responders who find Lila’s dead body. Maya blames herself. She thinks Lila consumed the shot intended for DuPont. She wonders if she committed manslaughter or murder.

Daisy tells Naomi what happened on the ski trip. Naomi wonders if DuPont purposely switched the shots. Daisy says she didn’t see him do anything. Feeling like she isn’t getting the complete story from Daisy, Naomi speaks to Kai, who works at the Stern, Cooper, & Sterling law firm. Kai claims Lila’s death was an accident, the result of young thoughtlessness. Kai admits that she kept quiet to further her career. When she had difficulty finding a job, DuPont helped her. Kai tells Naomi she can’t change what happened, and she’ll only ruin people, including Maya, who could go to jail for murder.

Back at Princeton, Naomi tells Amy that she can’t mention Maya in her article. While Amy gives a presentation in DuPont’s class, the screen shows one of Amy’s intimate “camgirl” videos. Pete and his friends laugh, and DuPont waits a long time before stopping it.

Maya reads a newspaper article about Lila’s death. The article claims Lila died of hypothermia, with alcohol and drugs playing a role. The article quotes a Sterling spokesperson, who states the ski trip wasn’t a Sterling event.

Maya has a mental health crisis during an exam and hits her head on the floor. In the hospital, she repeatedly screams, “I killed her.” A doctor diagnoses her with dissociative hallucination. Maya sees a therapist, who tells her Lila’s death isn’t her fault.

As spring arrives, Maya’s health improves. She avoids Nate and focuses on school. The Daily Princetonian publishes a story about Marsden accepting over $500,000 in bribes, but there’s no news about DuPont.

Maya tells Simmons about the ski trip. She focuses on DuPont and omits the GHB element. Next, she speaks to Fiona Williams, realizing Wiliams is the Twitter user who left the comment, “When it’s one of us it’s an ‘accident’” (519). Fiona has a cat called Rochester. Fiona shows Maya a message from Naomi. They were supposed to meet, but Naomi canceled it because she thought someone was following her, so she went to stay with a friend. Fiona says Naomi discovered several crimes involving DuPont. Naomi was working with a Times reporter. She wanted to “expose everyone.”

Maya reconnects with Nate. They “escape” to New York City on the weekends, and she tells him about “that weekend” on the ski trip, leaving out the drugging part. Maya feels haunted by Lila, and she becomes obsessed with DuPont.

Social services come twice to Aunt Ella’s house in San Jose, so Cecily suggests flying Naomi to the East Coast, where she can spend the summer at the house of Cecily’s brother and sister-in-law. Cecily and Naomi stay there for the summer too, and Cecily pays for everything. Maya has the greatest summer of her life. She, Naomi, and Cecily swim in the saltwater pool, drink frozen lemonade, and watch movies from the 1990s. Margaret takes them to museums, the ballet, and Broadway plays. Margaret and John don’t have children, but they petition the court and become Naomi’s legal guardians, so Naomi can live with them.

Maya commutes from Greenwich to her internship at Goldman Sachs. Goldman offers her a job, but Maya isn’t interested in banking, so she turns it down. Maya is nervous about how she’ll financially support Naomi, but Margaret tells her not to worry. When Maya, Cecily, Daisy, and Kai graduate, Margaret and John hold up cutout heads of them. Maya feels like she’s given Naomi the life she deserves.

Someone stole Amy’s laptop a few weeks ago, and Amy and Naomi believe that’s how the “camgirl” footage was shared. The Times sees Amy’s sexual content online and rescinds their job offer. Liam surprises Naomi with tickets to Croatia. After graduation, they intend to live on a small boat and sail around. Nate sends Naomi a picture of Liam and DuPont with a laptop. Naomi knows it’s Amy’s due to the Totoro sticker.

Maya receives an email from Trevor Jones. He mentions Marta and Naomi, and he supplies his phone number. Unsure of what to do, she joins Kai’s bachelorette party on the British Virgin Islands so she can speak to Daisy. On Cecily’s and Theodore Hunt’s 70-foot yacht, Daisy says they should speak to Marta. Kai appears and tells Maya that Naomi spoke to her about the ski trip before Naomi’s death. Maya wonders why Naomi sought out Kai and not her.

Cecily’s marriage is “suffering,” and she flirts with Jax, a handsome crewmember. The group uses the Jet Skis, and there’s an accident involving them, another yacht, and a speedboat. Everyone is fine, but Maya wonders if someone purposely tried to hurt them. The week before Naomi died, Cecily was at a Greystone event. She witnessed Sara and DuPont arguing about an affair with a student. She thinks maybe Naomi was the student.

Naomi sends Liam the photo of him and DuPont with Amy’s laptop. With bloodshot eyes, Liam appears and claims DuPont got him into Princeton. DuPont invested in a volatile MedTech company, and Liam’s father inflated the stock to shield DuPont. In return, DuPont connected Liam to an elite tennis coach. Without tennis, Liam—who describes himself as “wimpy”— wouldn’t have gotten into Princeton, not even as a legacy. Liam and Naomi first met at the Sterling library because DuPont asked Liam to speak to Naomi. DuPont knew about Amy and the Times article.

Back from Kai’s bachelorette party, Maya locates Sara in New York City and follows her into a subway station. She grabs Sara’s sleeve, but Sara pulls away. Later, they speak on the phone. Sara claims DuPont and Naomi had no “falling out.” Sara says she and DuPont are “private people.” Maya and Naomi have caused them many problems, and Sara wants Maya to leave them alone.

Dani gets candy again after school and tells Maya about a man and a black SUV outside their building. She identifies the man as a “gummy bear man.” The man said he was Maya’s friend, and he gave Dani a pack of gummy bears for Maya. The pack comes with a note, “Stay away from my family and I will stay away from yours” (573).

Maya can’t sleep that night and then misses her train stop on the way home from work. Waiting for a train at a dangerous station, DuPont attacks her, and she loses her phone. She stabs his thigh with her key before running to a police station and speaking to Detective Gary about the assault. Gary claims Sara and DuPont already contacted the police. Sara said Maya harassed her and assaulted her at a subway station. Gary advises Maya to stay away from them.

As Sterling’s treasurer, Ben has access to their finances, and he shows Naomi a spreadsheet that reveals Marta’s six-figure salary and a bonus around the time of the email leaks. Naomi confronts Marta, but Marta doesn’t want to talk. She advises Naomi to keep “out of this.”