Before Love became a household name, she was Lacey Dove Bart, a determined teen with dreams of stardom. Desperate to escape her bleak small-town life, Lacey dazzles at an audition for the prestigious Newland Academy, catching the eye of mega producer Jimmy Coins. Lacey’s friend and co-performer, Carrie-Anne, believes they’re on the brink of achieving their shared dream of escaping Appalachia. But a betrayal by Lacey leaves them both reeling.
As Lacey is transformed into “Love,” the carefully controlled idol of a generation, she loses piece after piece of herself. She’s contracted for stints on Christian variety shows, toured through malls and state fairs, and even locked in a fortress-like mansion between recording sessions. With her life spiraling out of control and younger, hungrier replacements waiting in the wings, Love’s only chance at freedom is to reconnect with Carrie-Anne and seek redemption in the one authentic bond she has left. Part pop elegy, part horror story, part radical reimagining of female celebrity, Ultranatural autotunes the static of fame until it sounds like prophecy.