Sterling is a quiet New Hampshire town where nothing ever happens until the day its tranquility is violently shattered by a school shooting. Josie Cormier, the daughter of the judge sitting on the case, should be the state's best witness. Unfortunately, she can't remember what happened that fateful day--or can she?

As the trial progresses, fault lines between the high school and the adult community begin to show and soon the closest of friendships and families are being destroyed. "Expertly crafted, thought-provoking, and compelling" (Entertainment Weekly), Nineteen Minutes asks what it means to be different in our society, who has the right to judge someone else, and whether anyone is ever really who they seem to be.