Lily lives a simple life in the Pacific Northwest, far away from the dangerous dysfunction of her family. A high school dropout and painfully aware of her limited education, Lily spends hours at the library with her homeless friend Alfred trying to improve herself. When her older Sister Denice arrives from California with an abusive, drug addicted husband and two damaged children in tow, Lily is thrust into a present day version of her own childhood. As her world unravels she is swept into a sea of violence that leads to the brink of murder where her own life and freedom are threatened. Unwilling to accept her circumstance, Lily searches deep in herself, beyond a childhood filled with conditional love, to find a way to lead her Sister from the clutches of abuse and discover the meaning of love without exceptions.