Two sisters, eleven and twelve years old, run away from home with no destination in mind. Rose, the youngest, doesn't know why they are running away until years later, after alcoholism had taken its toll and she was near death, diagnosed with a year to live.
Sexual, physical, and religious abuse hounded the sisters their entire lives and also many other lives affected for generations.
All of Rose's children were affected, and she often thought, "They should'a just killed us." meaning their parents and others should have, instead of relinquishing so much pain on so many.
When Rose slowly recovered from her addictions, she no longer harbored that thought. Her changed life, in turn, helped others to change their lives too.