The author and protagonist of the book, Ashley, is 3 when the story begins. A highly intelligent, even precocious child, she lives in a caravan with her mother, Lorraine; her mother’s partner, Dusty; and her infant brother, Luke. When the family moves to Florida, Lorraine and Dusty are both arrested, and Ashley and Luke are placed into the foster care system. Ashley struggles to understand what is happening and why no one will let her see her mother. Lorraine repeatedly promises that Ashley will live with her again soon, and “[n]aïve and trusting,” Ashley “always believe[s] her” (viii).

Ashley is shifted through the foster system, experiencing negligence, abuse, and constant instability. Sometimes the families she stays with are loving, although even those placements never last long. In other cases, the families are negligent or even abusive.

After a staying in a number of foster homes, Ashley is moved to a Children’s Shelter, and over a year later, Phil and Gay Courter express interest in her adopting her. However, Ashley’s life of instability and abuse makes it hard for her to trust them. As she has done at earlier placements, she acts up, “wondering what I [will] have to do wrong for the Courters to send me back” (208) because she believes such a fate is inevitable.