The novel opens in a university bar, as two drunk students fumble their way through a dance. They stumble out into the night and up to the boy's room. As they start to have sex, the girl begins to throw up. Shortly after a stranger guides the girl back to her room. Fairfax College is the only all-female residential college on campus. 18-year-old, Michaela arrives at Fairfax a total stranger. She grew up interstate and a scholarship has given her the chance for a fresh start in
Sydney. She is quickly struck by the longstanding private school cliques and social circles. Michaela's new neighbour is 20-year-old, Eve. A few years out of high school, she has already taken the opportunity to have a gap year and explore the world. Eve's quickly shocks the college community by masturbating on stage during a performance called
What Woman Want at an inter-college drama night. As the different colleges begin to intermingle, Michaela's social groups quickly expand as one drunken escapade leads into the next. One night her new friend Emily falls off a motorcycle, belonging to a college boy named Nick and breaks her leg. Another Michaela auditions for the St. Thomas Chapel Choir at the neighbouring college, and befriends a boy named Balthazar. During an introductory philosophy lecture with Eve, Michaela is taken by the lecturer Professor Rosen. Throughout the novel, Michaela's feelings for Professor Rosen begin to develop and she attempts to initiate an intimate relationship with him. What starts as private tutoring sessions quick evolves into Michaela stealing a kiss at a faculty function. While Michaela builds a secret relationship with Rosen, her friendship with Eve falters as academic competition and changing social dynamics drive them apart. During a college game of "
Never have I ever", Michaela discovers that during orientation week she had sex with Nick while she was black out drunk. In the ensuing weeks, she grapples with confronting him about his memories of the event. Eve begins encouraging Michaela to report the event as sexual assault. The opportunity for clarity is taken away when Nick dies during a drug-fueled motorcycle accident. After Eve and Michaela's friendship continues to deteriorate, Eve publishes an article about sexual assault on campus in the university newspaper. Eve presents Michaela's orientation week story as her own. The article draws widespread attention and quickly begins a discourse about the colleges. Eve becomes a media sensation and Michaela is at a loss for how to proceed. When Balthazar sees Michaela at the beach with Professor Rosen, rumours about their relationship begin to spread. Rosen calls Eve to his office and tells her they should stop seeing each other. Michaela confronts Eve about the article and the extent of her knowledge of her assault. Eve reveals that she was the stranger who helped Michaela back to her room. Nick's shouts were what initially attracted Eve's attention. When she went to investigate she found him shouting "Stupid Bitch" at Michaela, who was vomiting on his floor. Eve says that Nick was nowhere near as drunk as Michaela was. During the epilogue, Michaela returns to the university years after graduating. The college buildings have since been transformed into function centres. She is attending a Q&A for Eve's new memoir about her time at the university. During the book signing, Eve doesn't recognise her until Michaela says her name for the dedication. Eve signs the paper and silently hands Michaela the book. ==Principal characters==