The novel tells the story of Valerie Alston, Tricia Houston, and their insignificant hustler boyfriend Kevin Rogers. When Valerie gets pregnant, she's convinced Kevin will take care of her. But when the baby is born and her mother throws her out of the house, Kevin abandons her. With no education and no way of supporting herself, Valerie finds herself facing a bleak future, while Kevin goes on to make the same promise to Tricia that he had once made to Valerie. Refusing to simply accept her situation, Valerie begins the long road to changing her life for the better, first getting a GED and...