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 eventually makes the choice to trust people again. Unfortunately, for Maggie, you can't trust everyone. Getting away from her abusive father, doesn't mean she is free from all the people that may harm her. Will she ever truly be able to escape her father and the emotional scars of his abuse?

Like a phoenix rising from the ashes again and again, Maggie has had her fair share of blows in her life. She has always risen back up against all odds, refusing to give into the bad things that have happened to her. Can she continue to rise back up, or will her past catch up to her?