Tunisia could pinpoint the day it all went wrong: when she met Dee, a much-older, handsome Marine who dominated the basketball court and whose attention made her feel beautiful and special. Tunisia thinks he could be "the one," even though Dee isn't the man she thinks he is. This deception - and their improper relationship - leads her to devastating consequences. One of five children in a working-class Naval family and in over her head, fifteen-year-old Tunisia has no one to turn to except her two best friends, Mecca and Avalon, who are struggling with their own demons. Mecca has suffered the ultimate betrayal by the person she loved and trusted the most, and Avalon resorts to drugs to deal with a secret so dark she can't even share it with her best friends. Eventually, through their support of each other, Tunisia and her friends find the strength to triumph over the tragedies of their lives.