When her family abruptly moves from Kent to the isolated isle of Vane, Faith Sunderly doesn't understand the urgency of the situation. Her clergyman father, who's also a respected natural scientist, is embroiled in a scandal involving falsified fossils. When her father is found dead, Faith suspects murder, while nearly everyone else believes he took his own life. Determined to learn the truth and exact revenge on the guilty parties, Faith searches through her father's belongings and learns about a mysterious plant known as the Lie Tree. The tree feeds on lies and grows bitter fruits that grant revelatory visions to those who dare to eat them. Intent on her mission, Faith can't foresee the terrible consequences of nurturing the plant.