Adrien Villere suspects he is not like other boys. For years, he desperately locks away his feelings and fears - but eventually, tragedy and loss drive him to seeking solace from his mentor, a young neighbor Jacob Hart. Jacob's betrayal of Adrien's trust, however, results in secret abuse, setting off a chain of actions from which neither Adrien's wise sister, Bernadette, nor his closest friend, Isaac, can turn him. At What Cost, Silence presents two contrasting plantation families in a society where strict rules of belief and behavior are clear, and public opinion can shape an entire life. Centerstage are the Villeres, a family less brutal than the Harts, but no less divisive. Often-absent Papa Paien Villere guards several secrets he has kept from everyone - including one which could destroy his entire family. Years after Jacob's betrayal, Adrien falls hopelessly in love with his former mentor's erotically precocious and beautiful young sister Lily - whose father has affianced her to a wealthy older man. What will happen if Lily's violent brother learns of Adrien and Lily's clandestine affair? Will Adrien aid in freeing Isaac - an enslaved Black man - as promised? Will Bernadette find the unconventional life she seeks? Or will their entire world end as states secede and war creeps ever closer?