Savannah, Georgia, historian Rachel finds herself reminiscing about the summer of 1975, her last summer of freedom before being forced into high society by her haughty, social-climbing mother. Eleven-year-old Rachel intends to spend every moment of those few, precious months with her cousin, Bo; her best friend, Scott; and the Strickland brothers. Then Della moves into the neighborhood. Tiny, shy, and afraid of everything, Della is na ve to the joys of living by the river, and Rachel is determined to show her how much fun she can have by introducing her to skiing, tubing, boating, baseball, and camping. Meanwhile, the pressures of life as a budding debutante coupled with the confusion that accompanies her growing crush on Scott drive Rachel to experience crippling insomnia. She begins rambling through the woods and neighborhoods near her home each night. Eventually, these nighttime walks expose her to the dark realities that plague some of her neighbors. After witnessing something she wasn't supposed to see, Rachel fears for her life. The Big Hole's suspense mingled with the tale of a young girl struggling to come to terms with the woman she's growing into will keep you reading until the last line has been reached.