During the Montana-Yellowstone earthquake, Cameron’s mother narrowly dodges death as a child, while Margo Keenan’s brother, who had once kissed Cameron’s mother, did not. Many years later, Cameron’s parents die at Quake Lake. Cameron wonders if it was her mother’s destiny to die at Quake Lake. The lake repeatedly appears throughout The Miseducation of Cameron Post and signify key moments in Cameron’s spiritual coming-of-age. First, Cameron steals a photo of her mother at Quake Lake while Ruth and Grandma Post are out. Cameron and Ruth pass the lake on the way to God’s Promise. Right before Cameron’s escape from Promise, Grandma Post tentatively asks Cameron if she would like to visit the lake over the summer. Finally, Cameron chooses Quake Lake as the first destination after her escape and as the place to make amends with her parents. There, she figuratively baptizes herself in the chilly water and resolves the sense of responsibility she feels over their deaths. 

After Cameron’s parents die, she begins frequenting the video story. She rents Beaches, a film that she and her mother watched in theatres together and bonded over. The film features the death of a parent. Cameron notes why she re-watched the film: “I felt like I needed something official to show me how all of this should feel” (35).