It's 1965, a small town in Georgia. Fifteen-year-old Callie Ingram is an "A" student, a church regular, a nice girl who does what she's told. But after her beloved grandmother's death, Callie is all but ignored in the family she has left. Her distant, auto mechanic dad and rebellious older sister, Ruth Anne, are always fighting. To escape her loneliness and the turmoil at home, Callie takes an after-school job as a waitress in a diner. And there she meets Nick Gamble, a prominent, married businessman twice her age. Nick knows how to work his charm, and he leads Callie into a devastating love affair, with secrets that must be kept at any cost. When Callie's sister runs away and her dad's health fails, Callie becomes his caretaker and sole support. Desperate not to shame her dad and torn with guilt, Callie is equally determined to hold onto the lover who has become her obsession. But 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.