Kris Jones is just fourteen when her mother suffers a stroke and slips into a coma from which she never fully recovers. A few years later, Kris's mom dies.
The burden then falls on the shoulders of Kris's older sister to take care of the family, but the effort does not succeed. The family breaks apart, and amid the turmoil Kris must cope with attending a dangerous high school, longing to return to her Catholic school and the safety it provided.
When Kris's grandma dies as well, Kris has no choice but to move in with her father. Though her instincts warn against the move, she has no idea that she's about to become a victim of child molestation. She soon finds herself in a foster home, and her father finds himself in prison.
Despite battles with alcohol, drugs, and the legal system, Kris finds the will to keep chasing her dreams. She works and struggles, showing true courage when she comes out of the closet and starts living as openly gay. Today, she is free.