Content Warning: This section of the guide refers to murder and death by suicide.

June Farrow attends the funeral of her grandmother, Margaret, who she lived with since infancy, when she was found in an alley after her mother’s disappearance. Margaret, like all women in the family, was affected by a curse, and her service is not well attended. Margaret’s next-door neighbor is Ida Pinckney, and her oldest friend is Birdie Forester, who has been living with June and Margaret. When they return home from the service, Birdie gives June a locket watch that has been passed through the family. June repeatedly sees a man she knows isn’t there, first at the funeral and then on the porch. The man is eventually revealed to be her father, Nathaniel Rutherford. June thinks about the “madness” she knows is coming for her and her intention to ensure that the curse ends with her.

June sets to work in the family flower farm, which has been in operation for more than 100 years. She thinks about how the family curse affected her mother and grandmother differently. She also thinks about her close friendship with Mason, who she has known since childhood and who runs the flower shop.