Two cousins, Carrie and Connor, were born next door to each other and remained that way through high school and beyond. At the age of nine, a girl named Rebecca (who was the same age as the cousins) was raped and tossed off along the highway. She did well recovering from the trauma; however, she fell far behind in her academics. Carrie found a way to help Rebecca where adults failed. As more time progressed, Rebecca and Connor fall in love. However, Connor treated her as though she was made of glass, making their relationship difficult at best. In the book, there are three attempted murders--one by arson, another by prison and blunt-force trauma, and another one as a successful bullet through the brain. There are many twist and turns. When Rebecca finds out who her rapist is and is forced to go before a line up and again faces him in court, to her, it was almost like the rape trauma all over again.