Martha Kowalski is a quick-witted girl stuck in a bad situation. She's just moved to the slums of Cleveland with an alcoholic mother and Momma's new gun-loving, redneck boyfriend. Yes, there are pockets of goodness in her new life—a friend at school, a boy who lives upstairs, and cello lessons—but every day is filled with abuse from the unrelenting life of the ghetto. One day, Martha finds herself out on the street, and that's when her luck changes. A wealthy family invites her to live with them and within days she is enrolled in private school, is outfitted in the perfect new wardrobe, and is falling for the cutest guy she's ever seen! But life isn't so simple, and soon Martha realizes that she's not the only one with a past.