Mairin — free-spirited daughter of Irish immigrants, committed to keep her safe from her stepfather.

Angela — denounced for her attraction to girls, sent to the nuns for reform, but instead found herself the victim of a predator.

Helen — the daughter of intellectuals detained in Communist China, she saw her “temporary” stay at the Good Shepherd stretch into years.

Odessa — caught up in a police dragnet over a racial incident, she found the physical and mental toughness to endure her sentence.

Denise — sentenced for brawling in a foster home, she dared to dream of a better life.

Janice — deeply insecure, she couldn’t decide where her loyalty lay — except when it came to her friend Kay, who would never outgrow her childlike dependency.

Sister Bernadette — rescued from a dreadful childhood, she owed her loyalty to the Sisters of Charity even as her conscience weighed on her.

Wayward Girls is a haunting but thrilling tale of hope, solidarity, and the enduring strength of young women who find the courage to break free and find redemption…and justice.