Five years ago, Amara Hunter was married and had happy dreams of the future. Now she's a single mother, and just wants a better life for herself and her daughter. That's why she works long hours at her two jobs, saves as much as she can, and relies on help from her mother even though it's not ideal. The tiny apartment they live in won't be where they are forever, and she knows all she has to do is keep climbing and they'll get somewhere better. 
Tristan Johansson wants a better life, too, and he's willing to do whatever it takes to get it. He passes information to those who need it, serves as a bodyguard for people who are on the wrong side of the law, and has occasionally been convinced to engage in petty crime when he needs the money. 
Neither of them are looking for someone else in their lives to complicate matters, and they've lived in the same building for years without even speaking. But when Tristan saves Amara from an unsavory character as she's coming home from work one night, something sparks between them, and if they work at it, it could be the thing that helps change everything for the better.