The following version of this book was used to create this study guide: Brown, Janelle. Pretty Things. Random House, 2020.

The prologue is narrated by a seemingly omniscient narrator who discusses the ominous nature of Lake Tahoe.

“Part One: Nina” begins with the same seemingly omniscient narrator exploring a nightclub in Los Angeles in which a devious woman targets a drunk young billionaire, Alexi Petrov, with the intention of robbing his expensive antique furniture from his house. At the end of the chapter, the narrator switches to first-person present and reveals that she is the devious woman: Nina. Nina is a con-artist who finds rich young billionaires on Instagram and then robs them with her boyfriend, Lachlan. She lives in Los Angeles with her mother, who had just recovered from cancer. Nina had moved back to town when her mother first got sick, and Nina had been taking care of her and paying the bills by working cons with Lachlan. Nina picks her mother up from a checkup at the hospital and is horrified to learn that the cancer has returned. She needs an expensive treatment that Nina cannot afford. When Nina gets back home, Lachlan tells her that the police were looking for her. Nina and Lachlan decide to go into hiding together. He suggests they go somewhere nearby. like Tahoe. Nina remembers she lived in Tahoe during high school. Her mother had been a con artist, but when she realized that Nina was smart and capable, she enrolled her in a private school in Tahoe that offered her a scholarship. Nina's mother promised to get a respectable job at a casino, and Nina was happy for the first time in her life. She fell in love with a wealthy boy named Benny Liebling, who came from old money. They spent the year together, but then Benny’s father caught him having sex with Nina and forbid them from seeing one another ever again. Nina went home and found her mother packing their bags. Her mother claimed the Lieblings were chasing them out of town. Before Nina left, though, Benny casually told her that there was a safe in his mansion, Stonehaven, which had a million dollars inside it. Nina relates this story to Lachlan. They research Benny’s sister, Vanessa Liebling, who inherited Stonehaven after her parents died. She is renting out the caretaker’s cabin. Nina and Lachlan make fake identities, “Ashley Smith” and “Michael O’Brien,” a yoga teacher and an English professor. They drive to Stonehaven and plan to infiltrate Vanessa’s life by renting her cabin to gain access to the safe.

“Part Two: Vanessa,” is told in the first-person present by Vanessa. She is a social-media influencer who left New York to return to Stonehaven and start over fresh after her fiancé broke up with her just days after her father died. Her mother committed suicide after finding out that her husband was having an affair. Her brother, Benny, had been committed to an institution because of his schizophrenia since his early twenties. Vanessa is depressed and lonely, and she is excited to have guests staying in the cottage. She makes an effort to befriend Ashley and Michael. One morning, she sees Ashley doing yoga on the lawn and snaps a picture of her, then posts it on Instagram.

“Part 3: Nina” is narrated by Nina in the first-person present tense. Nina works to befriend Vanessa while Lachlan flirts with Vanessa. Nina plants a secret camera in the library of Stonehaven. Vanessa invites Nina and Lachlan out for a hike. During the hike, Vanessa snaps a picture of Nina and attempts to post it. Nina grabs the phone and deletes the picture, then tells Vanessa she is a very private person. Vanessa invites the couple over for dinner, but Nina gets sick and goes back to the cabin alone. Lachlan stays and plants more cameras. Vanessa invites them back over for another dinner. Nina takes a pretend call from her mother and breaks into the safe during dinner. She finds it empty except some paperwork. She finds a letter from her mother to Mr. Liebling, attempting to blackmail him for half a million dollars in exchange for her keeping quiet about their affair. Nina goes home to confront her mother, who admits she did blackmail Mr. Liebling and he never chased them out of town. Nina is shocked, but then the police arrive and arrest her.

“Part Four: Vanessa” is narrated by Vanessa in the present tense. Vanessa wakes up married to Michael, then flashes back and remembers that she thought Ashley was so cool and intimidating until the day of the hike. Benny had recognized Nina from the picture Vanessa posted on Instagram. Vanessa had realized “Ashley” was an imposter and a fake. However, Vanessa also suspected Ashley was conning Michael, so she poisoned Nina to get him alone and figure out whether or not he was aware of Nina’s true identity. When he seemed clueless, Vanessa invited them back over to confront Nina, but then Nina left suddenly. Michael stayed and Vanessa told him that Nina was a fake. Michael kissed Vanessa. A few days later, they got drunk and ran off to Reno to get married. They spend a few weeks in bliss, but then Vanessa starts to notice certain things about Michael that do not add up. By the time she realizes he is a fraud, she is pregnant with his baby. She goes to find Nina for help.

“Part Five: Nina” is narrated by Nina in the present tense. Nina spends over a month in jail knowing that Lachlan was the one to turn her in before Vanessa arrives and bails her out. Together, they go to Lachlan/Michael’s apartment and discover he has dozens of fake identities, but his real name is Michael O’Brien. Nina goes home and learns that her mother was faking her cancer in order to trick Nina into stealing money from Stonehaven for her. Nina is horrified and upset.

“Part Six: Vanessa” is narrated by Vanessa in the present tense. Vanessa goes back to Stonehaven and confronts Michael, but he refuses to admit the truth. Nina shows up and pretends to be there to help Michael get Vanessa’s money.

“Part Seven: Nina” is narrated by Nina in the present tense. She and Vanessa trick Michael onto Vanessa’s yacht and take him out to the middle of the lake with an empty gun. They tell them they have all his identities and threaten to turn him in if he does not leave town now. Michael tries to steal the gun and shoot Nina, but then Vanessa attacks him with an oar and kills him.

In the epilogue, Nina gets out of jail for grand theft and moves into Stonehaven with Vanessa, her baby, and Benny. Nina is certain no one will ever discover the truth about Michael.