In Blackdamp County, Kentucky, mysterious "little doors" occasionally appear to people in need, offering an escape to an unknown world from which no one ever returns. Maren Walker is a young woman struggling to survive while caring for her grandmother who has dementia and selling pills to cover medical bills. Her own mother used a door to leave when Maren was only nine, leaving her with a legacy of abandonment and a hard life in Appalachia. When a door finally appears for Maren, she is forced to decide whether to walk away from her crushing responsibilities or stay and fight for a future in a place that has taken so much from her. The novel uses this touch of magical realism to explore the heavy realities of poverty, addiction, and the agonizing choice between self-preservation and the people we love. It is a haunting story about what it means to belong and the courage required to keep going when an easy exit is right in front of you.