Ruby Wensley is sixteen and growing up behind her father's back. Daniel Wensley is a child psychologist and all too aware of the perils of this world. Joann Wensley is her daughters accomplice in deceit. Jake Finn has been raised in a rough Chicago neighborhood. His parents make a suspiciously quick decision to uproot their family and move to a far west suburb. Consequently, Jake doesn't fit in. He meets Ruby, who has been abandoned by her friends after she refuses to follow them down a destructive path of drugs and drinking. The unlikely pair begin dating. Ruby's father discovers them and cracks down; this only results in more rebellion. Jake tentatively reveals more of himself and his past to Ruby, bit by shocking bit. There are moments when she questions his trustworthiness, but she persists in believing in him. Are Jake's enemies coming after him? Is she in danger when she is with him? What all is Jake involved in?