The Vietnam War rages overseas but back home, in a year that begins with the hanging of one man and ends with the drowning of another, eleven schoolgirls embrace their own chilling history when their teacher abruptly goes missing during a school outing. Who was the mysterious poet they had met in the garden? What actually happened in the seaside cave that day? And most important - who can they tell about it? In beautifully crafted prose that shimmers and fades, Ursula Dubosarsky reveals how a single shared experience can alter the course of young lives for ever. Part gripping thriller, part ethereal tale of innocence lost,The Golden Dayis a poignant study of fear and friendship, and of what it takes to come of age with courage.