It's November 1963, a small town in Georgia. Teenager Callie Ingram is lonely and lost. Her beloved grandma, the only mother she's ever known, has just died, leaving Callie with her stoic, inept dad and rebellious older sister, Ruth Anne. There are constant fights at home, and money's hard to come by. Callie takes an after-school job as a waitress in a diner. And there she meets Nick Gamble, a good-looking, married businessman who will upend her life. Nick's casual flirtations lead Callie into a thrilling but guilt-ridden love affair, with secrets that must be kept at any cost. When Callie's dad's health fails and her sister goes missing, Callie is left as her dad's sole caretaker. She struggles to be the dutiful daughter, the "A" student with college dreams, and the family's source of income, all the while sneaking out for liaisons with Nick. In time Nick becomes increasingly unavailable, and Callie's love borders on obsession. Turns out, the real Nick is not the man of Callie's dreams. And when his world explodes, Callie faces the most excruciating decision of her life.