Shane Todd was prepared to submit to a life with his abusive girlfriend Nia, despite knowing he deserved better. Feeling he was simply serving his penance for his actions as a child, Shane rationalized that being with Nia was better than being alone. Nia believes Shane will never leave her no matter what she does, and the secrets she's keeping from him begin to stockpile. Pretty soon, deceiving him almost becomes a game to her, and she refuses to acknowledge the deep-seeded issues that are starting to cause more and more problems in her life. When things come to a head with Nia and his friends, Shane wonders if he has the strength to deal with the hard truths he has to face, about others as well as himself. With some encouragement from an unexpected source, Shane starts to try piecing his life back together. But will these changes last, or will his lifelong self-esteem issues lure him back to settling for what he's used to?