Maggie, a senior in high school, lost her mom to a car accident when she was only eight. Since that time, she has become the punching bag of her drunken father. She makes a plan to escape. She is determined to get out, to get away from this man that has caused her so much pain.

Maggie makes the long trek from Missouri to California to try and hide among the large student population of USC. On the bus ride there, she meets Carol. There is an instant, unspoken bond with her that Maggie can't figure out.

Maggie makes some new friends, including Carol's grandson Dylan, and...