JoJo and Sam have been best friends since he moved in next door when they were five years old. JoJo has always liked the ways Sam is different from other boys, but now that they're both 14, he's changing in ways she's not so sure she likes. Just when she thinks she's getting used to his new muscles and the way other girls are looking at him, she sees the bruises on his back and knows his step-father is beating him. JoJo tries to get Sam to leave, but he says he can't desert his mom and step-sister. He makes JoJo promise not to tell anyone or he'll be sent away to live with his grandmother in Tennessee. When Sam's mom witnesses the abuse for herself, she finally stops drinking and stands up for all of them, but that's when Sam's step-father turns deadly.