River McKaren doesn't have a happy past, or one she really wants to remember. Her present isn't much better either. All she can hope for is that she can leave her life behind and be free from the terrors of her past. But how can she do it when she is nearly raped in a dark alley by a group of gang members and saved by the leader of their rival gang? Darius Zane has been in almost all of her classes since they were in first grade; and she can't help but be attracted to him. Though how can she trust him when he hides so many things from her? Can she become a part of his world when hers comes crashing down?