A teenage Ashley Ames is painfully growing up in a rural area before the technology boom. Her parents are bitterly divorced and caught up in their own lives, too busy to care about what goes on with Ashley. However, she does find support with her stepmother Ruth._x000D_ _x000D_ Ashley bounces back and forth between her parents homes, with good reason. Either she moves because it's gone bad or they throw her out._x000D_ _x000D_ Ashley's behavior is erratic and self-destructive at home and at school. She gets selected to participate in a Scared Straight program, at a prison. It helps for a while._x000D_ _x000D_ A young man, Ryan doing a repair job at Ellen's house, Ashley's mother, notices Ashley. She has just moved back in with her. As Ashley goes through high school her escapades get her into trouble, while she deals with deep depression leading to a suicide attempt._x000D_ _x000D_ She has struggles but eventually finds her way out.