It's the Fourth of July, a hot and heady time. Fireworks spark as a town celebrates the bloody fight for Independence. Teena Maguire and her daughter Bethie decide to leave the heat of the crowd and head home from the party. As they take the cooling walk home through the park, Teena feels uneasy. A group of boys catch sight of the pair from across the lake. The boys scent blood. They tease Teena, chase her and corner her in front of her daughter. Rapebegins with what is almost unsayable, and tells of the brutality and cowardice that overtakes a small town in the aftermath of the attack.